Impact of farmers access to ICT services on

Impact of farmers’ access to ICT services on household savings & credit payment Experiences from the Philippines

Research Objectives • Understand how mobile/ICT applications changes farmer access • Understand key elements of farmer adoptions • Understand MFIs capability of pursuing new farmer segments, capture greater farmer data and promote cross-selling through ICT-based agriculture tech support and ultimately mobile money

Research Methodology Malapatan Multi purpose Cooperative Sarangani, Mindanao First Consolidated Cooperative Along Tañon Seaboards Cebu City, Visayas MFIs Agri ICT Services • Nutrient Manager • Crop Manager • e-Extension, Elearning (ATI) • Agriculture & Fishering Market Information System 111 farmer respondents 112 farmer respondents Households

Work Plan Deliverables Pre field Phase: Target Completed Reported Jun 2012 Jul 2012 Dec 2012 Field / data processing Phase: Jul & Oct 2012 Jan 2013 Aug 2012 Nov 2012 Dec 2012 Post field Phase: Aug Dec 2012 Nov 2012 Mar 2013 Dec 2012 Tools development data gathering, encoding and analysis Report/ presentation writing

INITIAL FINDINGS • Farmers’ savings and credit payment • Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • Comparative analysis for Sarangani and Cebu • Perception of farmer households on the ICT services

Farmers’ savings and credit payment • Farmer household spending pattern/priorities

Farmers’ savings and credit payment • Savings Method

Farmers’ savings and credit payment • Savings Challenges

Farmers’ savings and credit payment • Loan history

Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • • Farm production quality Farm improvement Demand for farm technical assistance

Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • Farm production

Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • Farm production quality

Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • Farm improvement

Relation between the access to ICT services and Farmers’ savings and credit payment level • Demand for farm technical assistance

Comparative analysis for Sarangani and Cebu • Savings & Credit payment patterns • Farmer household production & improvement priorities • Demand for technical assistance • Climate change coping mechanism • Farmer entrepreneurship

Perception of farmer households on the ICT services

CONCLUSIONS • Farmers need human intermediaries to facilitate learning process and actual use of ICT services • Access to ICT services, household savings and repayment capacity are not correlated to richness or poorness of the area • Relation between access to ICT services and repayment capacity is much more complicated that need to be thoroughly investigated. • ICT services can also be utilized for capacity building of MFIs whose impact will trickle down to the farmers • Great need to develop farmer entrepreneurship through ICT services.