Thesis (BS Agribusiness Economics) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, May 2018

Agriculture plays an important role on the Philippine economy. However, crop loss due to insect pests is the number one problem in agriculture. To combat insect infestation, biotechnology has been used to produce genetically modified (GM) crops that innately produce toxins to counter certain insect pests. An example is the Bt corn, the only GM crop approved for cultivation and commercialization in the country. After the Bt corn, the proponents of the Bt technology are looking forward on commercializing another Bt crop, the Bt eggplant. Hence, this study aims to assess whether vegetable growers are willing to cultivate Bt eggplant when it is allowed to be propagated and sold in the local markets. Using binary logistic regression, the study considered demographic, awareness, and attitudinal variables in analyzing the willingness of growers to adopt Bt eggplant. A total of 115 vegetables growers from Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley were considered in this study. There were seven factors that significantly affected the choice of adoption of vegetable growers. The variables that positively affect adoption were household income, knowledge about the Bt gene technology and willingness to consume Bt eggplant while years of farming experience, ownership status of the land used for farming, distance of the farm from Tagum City Public Market, and whether the grower plants other crops affect the rate of adoption negatively. The results from this study provided valuable insight into growers? views and perceptions towards genetically modified eggplant which will help policy-makers decide whether to push through the commercialization of Bt eggplant in the country as it has been long overdue.