Making both ends meet : landless farmers in the face of semi-feudal and semi-colonial Philippines

Abstract

The truest indicator of development of a nation is the education and economic status of its poorest sector. In the Philippines society, the farmers are identified as the poorest sector. Seventy percent of its population is into farming; and eight of every ten farmers are landless. Using judgement sampling technique in selecting the study participants, this collaboratively undertaken qualitative multiple case study explored and described the situation of landless peasants across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao islands. As a result, the indescribable disparity between the increasing amount of farm inputs, daily consumption and inflation, traditional farming, landlessness, too much contribution in actual farming, unenticing and uncontextualized education, and low quality of food intake on one side as respectively against that of low amount of harvest, low income, non-mechanized production process, less farm management participation, unfair sharing system, less opportunity for recreation, untapped farming capability and the insufficient nutrition on the other end appeared to be the closest description of the plight and struggles of the landless peasants. Consequently, this stretching gap intensifies the aspiration of the farmers to make both ends meet. However, as their aspiration turns into a mere dream, their vulnerability to engage in the active, nationalistic and democratic means in searching for justice becomes a reality. Likewise, this study has established an extended essence of “making both ends meet” from a mere economic connotation of scarcity and the sacrifice in coping the daily needs with the meagre and insufficient income to the political convergence of the world of the academicians and the landless farmers, and the cultural quandary amidst starvation at home and gruelling condition in the workplace experienced by the latter. The study revealed that the struggles of the owners of the stories in making both ends meet had changed the social orientation of the narrators of the stories. The owners and narrators have unified their dreams and aspirations. Their encounter triggered a stronger advocacy and solidarity.

Keywords: Making both ends meet, landless peasants, plight, struggles and aspirations