Research Title: The Relationship between the Impacts of COVID-19 and the Resilience Skills of the

Farmers

Background of the Research:

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. Everything has been impacted. How we live and interact
with each other, how we work and communicate, how we move around and travel. Every aspect of our
lives has been affected. Although the world is in lockdown, governments, epidemiologists, school
principals, entrepreneurs and families around the world are already planning the next steps: how to
safely reopen schools and businesses, how to commute and travel without transmitting or contracting
infection, how to support those most affected by the crisis – the millions who have lost their livelihoods
or their loved ones, how to ensure the already serious inequalities don’t deteriorate further. (UNECA,
2020)
People suffering from extreme poverty in Asia and the Pacific predominantly live in rural areas and are
engaged in agricultural activities. In this backdrop, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
agricultural sector has brought unprecedented challenges. The pandemic threatens to not only stagnate
progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 2 (Zero
Hunger), but has the potential to reverse the gains made in recent years, thus jeopardizing the global
community’s shared promise to ‘leave no one behind’. Sustainable agricultural mechanization can play a
key role in supporting countries in the region respond to the crisis. (UNESCAP, 2020)
The country’s agriculture sector is expected to play a major role in pursuing a socio-economic response
framework to the Covid-19 pandemic recovery efforts. For the country to rise stronger from this Covid-
19 crisis, the government must encourage the development of an agriculture-driven economy. Aside
from that, the workers in agricultural sector should help themselves through demonstrating resiliency.
In this way, the government together with agricultural workers would work hand-in-hand to conquer the
negative effects of COVID-19.
The present study focuses on the relationship between the impacts of COVID-19 and the resiliency of
the agricultural worker, particularly the farmers. The researchers would want to understand and have a
knowledge on how far could the farmers go to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on their crop productions.

Research questions/ Objectives:

The researchers aim to answer the following questions:

1. What are the effects of COVID-19 on the farmers of Madaymen, Kibungan, Benguet?
2. How did the farmers cope with the aftermaths of the pandemic?
3. How would the presence of COVID-19 impact the resiliency of the farmers?

Scope and Delimitation:

 The study aims to understand the relationship between the impacts of COVID-19 and the
resilience skills of the farmers. The focus of the research would be on the farmers of Madaymen in the
municipality of Kibungan, province of Benguet. This would cover farmers with different crops such as
fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

On the other hand, the study would also concentrate on the effects of the pandemic towards
the resiliency of the farmers. However, the researchers would only measure the farmers’ ability to cope
during setbacks which are directly related to resiliency. The study would not go further than the effects
of COVID-19 and the coping mechanisms of the farmers in the said area.

Significance of the Study:

The findings and conclusions of this study would help the authorities in charge of the Local
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in terms of assessing the resiliency of the Madaymen
farmers during the pandemic. It would assist them on their program and project implementation on
giving aids financially and through information dissemination on how to be prepared and be resilient in
uncertain times. Based on the result of the study, the barangay officials would be able to know how far
can their residents cope in the aftermaths of COVID-19. The study would also educate the researchers
and the readers on the 21st century needed skills because despite the presence of advance technology,
people also have their part on helping their society be ready on different outbreaks.