Determinants of Corn Combine Harvester Technology Adoption: The Case of Corn Farmers in Tabuk, Kalinga

This study examined the issues and determinants of adoption of corn combine harvesters (CCH) in Tabuk, Kalinga, in an effort to promote their increased use. The survey of 117 corn farmers was supplemented by interviews with key informants from nine cornproducing barangays within the municipality of Tabuk. Results showed that socioeconomic factors can inform strategies for promoting technology adoption and advancing agricultural development. The institutional characteristics shed light on the importance of land ownership, collective participation, knowledge dissemination, and financial support in influencing combine harvester adoption among corn farmers whereas physical/technical characteristics of CCH highlight the importance of infrastructure development and availability of combine harvesters in promoting their adoption among corn farmers. In addition, the study examined the perceptions and attitudes of farmers regarding combine harvesting in relation to various aspects, including the advantages of combine harvesting, the technical characteristics of combine harvesters, the quality of manually harvested corn, and the displacement of labor caused by combine harvesters. The findings provide valuable insights into the perceptions and attitudes of farmers regarding combine harvesting, highlighting both consensus and divergent perspectives among adopters and non-adopters. The adoption of CCH offers advantages such as time efficiency, cost reduction, labor optimization, convenience, increased market price, and improved corn quality. However, there are challenges to consider, including high postharvest losses, inapplicability to small farm areas or rough roads, negative effects on manual harvesters and sheller operators, additional costs for collecting cobs, potential harvest delays, field damage, and concerns about unclean output. To convince corn farmers to use the CCH, there is a need to address accessibility issues, reduce post-harvest losses, and maintain farmto-market roads in order to facilitate the effective use of the C