UPLAND FARMING PRACTICES BASIS FOR A CULTURALLY-BASED UGMAD TEACHING MODEL

This study unveiled the traditional farming practices in the upland areas of Cebu, Philippines and Gunma, Japan during pre-planting, planting, and post planting by identifying the farming methods used; and designing innovative culturally-based Ugmad Teaching Model (UTM) that catapulted the use of traditional farm practices into the art of teaching and learning process. This qualitative study utilized a comparative case study design of a typical farming village in Cebu, Philippines and in Gumna, Japan using a narrative analysis. Unstructured questions were used in a one-on-one interview of the research participants. The upland farming practices were significant and interdependent processes necessary in farm production. Both inorganic and organic farming as well as the basic tools were widely used in Village Farm X; while organic farming and high-tech machineries were commonly used in Village Farm Y which enhanced productivity in preserving the environment that resulted in large chasm between the farming cultures of the two villages. As extrapolated in the study, the UTM was derived as a creative and a culturally-based teaching strategy to fit in the contextualized and localized teaching in the Outcomes-based Education (OBE) curricula.