Highlights of 2002 Censuses of Agriculture and Fisheries: SOCCSKSARGEN Region BACKGROUND The 2002 CAF is a large-scale government operation geared towards the collection and compilation of statistics on the agriculture and fisheries sectors of the country. The collected data will constitute the bases from which policy-makers and planners will formulate plans for the country's development. It was undertaken by NSO in compliance with Executive Order (EO) 121, which designated the agency as the "major statistical agency responsible for generating general purpose statistics." SOCCSKSARGEN Region is envisioned to become a home of empowered people who have access to economic opportunities and quality basic services, producing globally competitive manpower and agri-industrial and fishery products. Based on the 2000 Census, the new Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) has a total population of 3,222,169 or about 18 percent of the Mindanao population count, which is 18,133,714. Though the population grew at the rate of 2.68 percent, only 0.24 percentage points higher than the 2.44 percent growth rate of the Mindanao population. The region's total land area of 22,612 sq. km. is 22 percent of the total Mindanao land area of 101,998 sq. km. There are about 142 persons per square kilometer in the region, which is a little lower than the population density of Mindanao recorded at 177.8 persons per square kilometer. NUMBER OF FARMS In 2002, about 4.8 million agricultural farms were registered nationwide and for SOCCSKSARGEN Region, it was recorded to have 330.6 thousand farms for agricultural use, covering 775.3 thousand hectares. The region's total agricultural land area comprised 39.9 percent of the region's total land area. As the number of farms increased by 25.2 percent over the 264.1 thousand farms reported in 1991, the average farm size decreased from 2.8 hectares per farm to 2.3 hectares per farm. About 87.9 percent of the farms in the region had one to two parcels with an average parcel size of around 1.98 hectares per parcel. Overall, the region reported an average of 1.9 parcels per farm in 2002. FARM AREAS At national level, farm areas decreased by 3.0 percent in the area of farms resulting to the decline of average farm size from 2.2 hectares per farm to 2.0 hectares per farm. On the contrary, the farm areas in SOCCSKSARGEN Region increased by 3.9% resulting to the decline of average farm size from 2.83 hectares per farm to 2.35 hectares per farm. Generally, the increase in the number of agricultural farms and reduction in the farm size could be partly attributed to the distribution of land through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the government. Cotabato Reported the Highest Number of Farms Among the provinces in SOCCSKSARGEN, Cotabato shared the highest number of farms with 126.7 thousand, covering 275.5 thousand hectares of agricultural land. In fact, the total farms for the province accounted for 38.3 percent of the total farms in the region. Areas under agricultural land comprised 42 percent of the total land area of the province. Moreover, the number of agricultural farms for the province was higher by 13.7 thousand farms (12.2 percent) over the 1991 level while the total area was lower by 29.7 thousand hectares (9.7 percent). South Cotabato ranked second with 85 thousand farms, covering 197.9 thousand hectares while Sarangani came in third with 59.5 thousand farms, covering 150.8 thousand hectares. Majority of Farms were Individually Operated Of the total farms in the region, 324 thousand farms (98 percent) occupying 736.4 thousand hectares were individually managed by agricultural operators. On the other hand, only 3.8 thousand (1.14 percent) of the total number of farms were operated under partnership, covering a combined area of 9.8 thousand hectares. These were farms operated by two or more competent persons who associated themselves in a common ownership and management of the farm. More Than Half of the Farm in SOCCSKSARGEN were Owned by the Agricultural Operators In 2002, about 171.3 thousand farms (51.8 percent) were fully owned or were under ownerlike possession such as held under Certificate of Land Transfer (CLT) or Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA), inherited lands or area operated uncontestedly/uninterruptedly for 30 years or more without title of ownership. This type of tenure occupied 421.5 thousand hectares. Farms which were partly owned by the agricultural operators during the said year totaled to 95.4 thousand, covering an area of 228.9 thousand hectares. These farms were operated under more than one form of tenurial status usually a combination of fully owned/ownerlike possession and another form. Other farms were tenanted with 38.7 thousand farms (11.7 percent); leased, 6.2 thousand farms (1.9 percent); and under other tenurial forms such as rent-free, held under mortgage, etc., 18.2 thousand farms (5.5 percent). The number of farms that were fully owned/ownerlike possession increased by 38.1 percent, that is, from 264.1 thousand farms in 1991 while farms that were partly owned increased by 34.6 percent. Tenanted farms decreased by 20.3 percent from 48.6 thousand farms in 1991. Majority of Farms in the Region were Under Temporary Crops In 2002, 64.2 percent (497.8 thousand hectares) of the region's total farm area was utilized for temporary crops. Land used mainly for permanent crops followed with 221.4 thousand hectares. For over a period of more than a decade, the size of the land used for permanent crops increased by 4.9 percent while the land used for temporary crops decreased by 2.1 percent. On the other hand, land used as homelot more than doubled in terms of area, from 3.4 thousand hectares in 1991 to 11.2 thousand hectares in 2002. In this case, although these farms were reported as homelot, these farms might have been used in agricultural activities such as raising of chicken, backyard gardening, etc. Corn was the Major Temporary Crop in the Region Corn was the major crop in the region in terms of area planted. It accounted for 175 thousand farms with a combined area of 516.5 thousand hectares. This crop posted a 15.5 percent increase (23.4 thousand farms) in the number of farms and established a 29.1 percent increase (116.3 thousand hectares) in the area planted as compared with the 1991 estimates. Palay followed next with 121.1 thousand farms reporting, covering 301.9 thousand hectares. It recorded a 9.3 percent decrease in the number of farms but established a 13.4 percent increase in the area planted as compared with the 1991 estimates. Leguminous plants ranked third in 2002, registering a 51.1 percent increase in the number of farms and 4.4 percent increase in the total area planted over the 1991 figures. Corn and palay were among the top five crops in all provinces in SOCCSKSARGEN in 2002. Corn was the top crop grown in all provinces except in Sultan Kudarat whose major crop was palay. South Cotabato covered more than one-third of the total area devoted to corn, while close to one-half was covered by Cotabato for palay. Pineapple was the Dominant Permanent Crop in 2002 In terms of the number of hills/trees/vines, pineapple was the dominant permanent crop in the region, accounting for 4.6 thousand farms planted with 40.3 million hills. Coconut, followed with 174 thousand farms planted with 12 million hills. Coffee robusta ranked third with 12.7 thousand farms planted with 11.6 million trees. Pineapple topped the list because of the vast pineapple plantation in the region particularly in South Cotabato where the DOLE plantation is situated. This province contributed 81.8 percent of the total pineapple planted in the region. In 1991, in terms of area planted, pineapple was also one of the major crops. Banana and coconut were among the top five crops in all provinces where Cotabato recorded the biggest share of 41.1 percent for banana and Sarangani with 43 percent for coconut. Moreover, being one of the biggest producers of rubber in the country, rubber was the principal crop in Cotabato accounting for 96.9 percent of the total trees in the region. On the other hand, Sultan Kudarat reported about 87.1 percent share of the total coffee robusta trees in the region. National Irrigation System was common in the region Irrigation was an indispensable means for producing agricultural crops. In 2002, SOCCSKSARGEN had 123.7 thousand farms with an irrigated area of 203.9 thousand hectares, or 26.3 percent of the total agricultural land. The most common system of irrigation was the national irrigation system, which supplied water to 50.5 thousand farms with a total irrigated area of 82.8 thousand hectares. Communal system of irrigation followed next, which covered 52.5 thousand hectares. There were other systems of irrigation such as waterwheels, water fetching, windmills, among others, which supplied water to 25.8 thousand hectares of agricultural land. Farms planted with temporary crops benefited most of the irrigation facilities in the region. Hog Raising Dominated the Livestock Raising Activity The dominant livestock raised in SOCCSKSARGEN in 1991 and 2002 was hogs. A total of 114.7 thousand farms reported to have reared 494 thousand hogs as of March 2003. In terms of the number of hogs tended, the figure increased by 21 percent over the 1991 total of 408.2 thousand hogs. Carabao ranked second with 179.9 thousand heads tended, showing a 14.4 percent decrease compared to the 1991 figure. Experiencing a 3.8 percent increase over the 1991 figure, tending of goat ranked third with 168.6 thousand heads as of March 2003. Hog was the top livestock tended in all provinces of the region in 2002. South Cotabato had the most number of hogs tended with 250.5 thousand heads, or 50.7 percent of the total for the region. On the other hand, Cotabato contributed the biggest share on the total carabao (41.8 percent), cattle (40.3 percent), and goat (58.4 percent) headcount in the region. Sarangani, which is the smallest province in the region in terms of land area, reported the biggest share (38 percent) to the total horse headcount. Raising of Chicken was the Primary Poultry Raising Activity Raising of chicken was the primary poultry raising activity in SOCCSKSARGEN. About 251.1 thousand farms reported to have raised 5.3 million chicken in the region as of March 2003. In terms of the number of chicken raised, the figure was 55.8 percent higher over the 1991 level of 3.4 million. Raising of ducks ranked second with 59.8 thousand farms reporting to have raised 1.7 million ducks as of March 2003. This registered an increase of 135.2 percent over the 1991 figure of 717.9 thousand ducks. Among the provinces in the region, South Cotabato contributed most to the total chicken raised by as much as 48.8 percent, followed by Cotabato with 24.1 percent. A Number of Farms were Also Engaged in Ornamental and Flower Gardening While most agricultural operators in SOCCSKSARGEN were engaged in common agricultural activities like planting palay, corn, etc., others were involved in other agricultural activities like bee culture/honeybee production, silkworm production, among others. For these types of agricultural activities, ornamental and flower gardening (excluding orchid) was widely practiced in the region by 1.7 thousand farms. However, this figure was 69.2 percent lower than the 5.6 thousand farms reported in 1991. Vermiculture/earthworm culture and mushroom culture also attracted the interest of the agricultural operators in 2002 where both posted a 256 percent increase. One Female for Every 11 Male Agricultural Operators In 2002, SOCCSKSARGEN recorded 330.6 thousand agricultural operators aged 15 years and over, with 300.5 thousand males (90.9 percent) and 26.3 thousand females (8 percent). This translates to a ratio of one female for every 11 male agricultural operators. The median age of agricultural operators in the region was 42 years. This means that half of the operators were below 42 years of age. On the other hand, half of the male agricultural operators were below 41 years old while half of the female agricultural operators appeared older, below 53 years old. About 77 Percent of the Household Members Engaged in Agriculture were Working in Own Agricultural Holding. Household members of the agricultural operators ages 10 years old and over were asked if they were engaged in any agricultural activity, whether in their own holding, in other holding or both. In 2002, a total of 432.5 thousand household members were engaged in agricultural activities. Of this number, about 332.6 thousand (76.9 percent) were employed in own holding, 73.8 thousand (17.1 percent) both in their own holding and in the holding of others, and 26.1 thousand (6 percent) in other holdings. About 231.5 thousand, or 44.6 percent of the household members 10 to 24 years old were engaged in an agricultural activity. Three in four of them were working in own holding. While male operators dominated the agricultural operations in the year, female non-operator household members engaged in an agricultural activity (260.2 thousand) outnumbered their male counterparts by 95 thousand. Plow was Used in Most Farms in SOCCSKSARGEN Among the farm equipment used by agricultural operators in the region, plow was the most common with 223.6 thousand farms using in 2002. About 187.1 thousand plows were owned while 89.1 thousand were rented by the agricultural operators. Cultivator and weeder were the next common farm equipment used as reported by 169.8 thousand farms, of which 483.9 thousand cultivators and weeders were owned and 58.9 thousand were rented. Other common equipment/facilities used in the region were dryers (151.4 thousand), sprayer and duster (141.8 thousand), and harrow (133.9 thousand). In 1991, plow was the most common farm equipment used by agricultural operators in 208.2 thousand farms followed by harrow used in 159.3 thousand farms. Across provinces, plow was the most common farm equipment used in South Cotabato (60.8 thousand farms) and Sarangani (30 thousand farms) while cultivator and weeder were the most reported equipments used in Cotabato with 114.3 thousand farms and Sultan Kudarat with 51.8 thousand reporting. The 2002 Census of Fisheries aims to find out the number and distribution of households and enterprises engaged in fishing and aquaculture in the country. Likewise, it seeks to determine the structure and characteristics of fishing and aqua farm operations. NUMBER OF FISHING OPERATORS The number of municipal fishing operators increased three folds from 582 thousand in 1980 to 1.483 million in 2002. Same with commercial fishing operators, the figure tripled from 2.1 thousand in 1980 to 7.1 thousand in 2002. Number of municipal fishing operators increased three folds from 582 thousand to 1.483 million.   Commercial fishing operators tripled from 2.1 thousand to 7.1 thousand. CHARACTERISTICS OF AQUACULTURE OPERATORS The Philippines is abundant in inland water, swamplands, protected coves and tide flats favorable for culturing aquatic products of economic value such as fish, oysters and seaweeds, among others. These bodies of water including its rich resources provide enormous potentials for practicing aqua culture in the country. In 2000, the number of operators reported to have engaged in aquaculture increased six (6) times, from 27.3 thousand operators in 1980 to 181.6 operators in 2002. Correspondingly, the aquafarms increased considerably from 28 thousand units in 1980 to 193.7 thousand units in 2002. During the same period, the area of aquafarm decreased by 11.0 percent from 152.2 thousand hectares in 1980 to 135.5 thousand hectares in 2002. Overall, around 123.5 thousands (63.7 percent) utilized marine water. Seaweed farms numbering to 76.2 thousand (61.7%) led the aquafarms that used marine water while the most common type of aquafarm that used brackish water was fishpond (20.8 thousand units or 66.2 percent). Household members of the aquafarm operators were asked if they were engaged in own aquafarm operation, in other aquafarm operation or both. In 2002, a total of 147.3 thousand household members were engaged in aquafarm operation in the region. Of this figure, most of them were employed in own aquafarm operation with 137.8 thousand (93.6 percent). Only 3.8 thousand (2.6 percent) were engaged in other aquafarm operation and 5.7 thousand (3.9 percent) both in their own and other aquafarm operation. Half of the household members engaged in aquaculture were below 22 years old. For more information or data request on the final report of the 2002 Censuses of Agriculture and Fisheries, send us email or visit NSO SOCCSKSARGEN Regional and its Provincial Offices near you.