Role of Decision-Making Dynamics and Farm Participation in Succession: The Case of Philippine Coffee Farming Households

Abstract

Succession is crucial to ensure agricultural sustainability, food security, and rural development in the agriculture sector. Existing succession studies analyze how demographics, farms, and social characteristics affect the likelihood of having a successor. There is scarce literature on how household members’ decision-making involvement and farm participation affect the likelihood of succession. The effect of access to agricultural services was also examined in this study. A Probit model was used in the analysis using information from 755 coffee farming households in nine (9) regions of the Philippines. One of the key findings is that the likelihood of farm succession is more strongly influenced by gender-specific farm activity engagement than by the extent of involvement in farm decision-making. To increase the likelihood of farm succession, any intervention and extension should incorporate a component that actively engages youth in the farm’s day-to-day operations. Active membership of the household head in an agricultural organization and women’s access and participation in agricultural training can significantly increase the likelihood of succession. The study supplements theoretical literature on farm succession by providing measurements on inclusive farm activity participation, decision-making within the household, and how it affects farm succession likelihood, a critical factor that should be considered in analyzing farm succession.