Employment Generation Potential of the Rice Value Chain: The Case of Mlang, North Cotabato in Mindanao

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the employment generation potential of the rice value chain. It analyzes the issues in the chain and the strategies to address them, including their impact on job generation. A value chain framework was used in the analysis focusing on the case of Mlang, North Cotabato. Both primary and secondary data were utilized. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were applied to collect primary data. Two rice farmer surveys in Mindanao by the World Bank (2014) and Catholic Relief Services (2015) also served as inputs. Using the job estimation for Mlang, the total jobs generated in the rice value chain in North Cotabato is estimated at 23,011 from a total area of 125,731 hectares (ha) in 2014. For Mindanao, an estimated 221,796 jobs were generated from a total of 1,189,266 ha of harvested area in 2014. A range of issues affecting the performance of the rice value chain from production, postproduction, to marketing can be addressed by enhancing profitability through improved productivity, pricing, lowering cost, and diversifying income sources through intercropping, processing, and product differentiation. Implementing these strategies particularly to address severe constraints can potentially generate 36,672 additional jobs.