Households with Agricultural Operators

The number of agricultural households or households with at least one agricultural operator, that is, with crop, livestock and/or poultry operators, reached 7.07 million in year 2022 from 5.35 million in 2012. This posts an increase of 1.71 million agricultural households or a 32.0 percent increase over the past 10 years.

Among the total number of agricultural households, 3.38 million (47.8%) were households with operators engaged in crop farming activities only, and 1.39 million (19.6%) were households with operators engaged in livestock and/or poultry farming activities only, and 2.31 million (32.6%) were households with operators engaged in both crop and livestock and poultry farming activities.

Households with operators growing crops only increased by 1.18 million (53.5%). On the other hand, there was a significant decrease of 329 thousand households (19.2%) with operators raising livestock and/or poultry only, declining from 1.72 million in 2012 to 1.39 million households in 2022. (Figure 1)

Agricultural Operators

The number of agricultural operators in the year 2022 increased by 1.85 million, rising from 5.56 million in 2012 to 7.41 million in 2022.

Almost half (46.1%) of agricultural operators were engaged exclusively in crop farming (crop farm operators only), while 35.1 percent were operators of both crop farm and livestock and/or poultry farm activities, and nearly one in five (18.8%) operators raised livestock and/or poultry animals only and did not have any crop farm operations.

Between 2012 and 2022, there was a considerable decrease in the number of livestock and/or poultry farm operators only, numbering about 321 thousand. On the other hand, the number of exclusive crop farm operators increased by 1.21 million, representing a 55.2 percent change. (Table A)

The average number of agricultural operators per agricultural household in the country slightly increased from 1.04 operators per household in 2012 to 1.05 operators per household in 2022.

Of the total 7.41 million agricultural operators in 2022, 5.59 million (75.4%) were males while 1.82 million (24.6%) were females. This translated into a ratio of about three male agricultural operators for every one female agricultural operator.

For both sexes, the median age was 49.7 years. Female agricultural operators had a median age of 54.0 years, nearly 6 years older than their male counterparts, whose median age was 48.4 years. (Figure 2)

The proportion of agricultural operators increases with age, starting from 15 to 19 years to 50 to 54 years. Among the agricultural operators, the younger age group (15 to 29 years old) accounted for only a small proportion (8.9%) of the total agricultural operators. The middle age group (30 to 49 years) accounted for a large proportion of 41.9 percent. Moreover, the older age group (50 and above) accounted for nearly half (49.3%) of the total number of agricultural operators. In the same age group (50 and above), 16.8 percent were in the age group of 65 years and above.

From year 2012 to 2022, male agricultural operators in all ages showed a growth of 938 thousand (20.2%). While the number of female agricultural operators in all ages rose greatly by 914 thousand, more than double their number in year 2012. (Figure 3)

After a decade (from 2012 to 2022), the largest rise in the number of agricultural operators for both sexes was observed among the older age group: 534 thousand (75.3%) for 65 years and above, 286 thousand (62.8%) for 60 to 64 years, and 246 thousand (44.2%) for 55 to 59 years.

On the contrary, there is a decline in the number of agricultural operators in the younger age group (15 to 24 years) of about 10 thousand agricultural operators (4.6%).

Among male agricultural operators, a similar trend was observed, with decreases of 16.7 percent for those aged 15 to 19 years and 14.4 percent among those aged 20 to 24 years, but increases of 48.6 percent among those aged 60 to 64 years and 53.3 percent among those aged 65 years and above.

Female agricultural operators, however, showed increases across all age groups, with the largest growth (131.7%) observed among retirees and seniors (65 years and above), followed by those aged 60 to 64 years (115.6%). The percentage increase of more than a hundred percent for age group 25 to 29 years and almost a hundred percent (99.4%) for age group 30 to 34 years are also notable. (Tables B and 3)

The highest educational attainment of agricultural operators predominantly falls under elementary and high school levels, which account for 2.90 million (39.2%) and 2.81 million (38.0%), respectively. The next largest percentage shares were college graduates/academic degree holders and college undergraduates, which accounted for 10.5 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.

The combination of agricultural operators with no grade completed or at preschool level constituted a small proportion (2.5%) of the total agricultural operators. Short-cycle tertiary education program also contributed a small proportion with only 1.2 percent. While the smallest (less than 1.0%) proportion of total agricultural operators were those with highest grade completed of post-secondary level, post baccalaureate, continuing/second chance education program, and inclusive/special needs education program which accounted to 0.6 percent, 0.5 percent, 0.3 percent, and 0.2 percent, respectively. (Tables C and 4)

Between the years 2012 and 2022, the number of elementary-level agricultural operators rose by 144 thousand (5.2%).

Post-secondary level saw a steep decline (73.7%) from 156 thousand in 2012 to only 41 thousand in 2022. A decrease was also evident for no grade completed/preschool agricultural operators with a difference of 33 thousand (15.1%).

In contrast, agricultural operators with a post-baccalaureate degree saw the largest increase which rose by more than five times in 2022 compared to 2012. Moreover, the number of agricultural operators with academic degree holders or who were college graduates more than doubled compared to 2012. (Figure 4)

The results are based on the 2022 CAF conducted among households and non-household entities that operated agriculture activities from 01 January to 31 December 2022. Household interviews for the 2022 CAF were conducted in September to November 2023, while non-household interviews were conducted in May to July 2023.

CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, PhD
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General