Thesis (BA Communication Arts) --University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2019

This study offers an understanding on how information-seeking on the farming practices of coconut farmers affect their farm management, especially with the current situation of the coconut farming industry. In order to understand the communication dynamics of coconut farmers when it comes to seeking information, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among the coconut farmers in Upper Tamugan, Marilog District, Davao City, having 12 respondents for the key informant interviews and three focus group discussions with five respondents per group. Coconut farmers identified various sources of information where they active and passively gather information, namely, management agencies (i. e. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian reform (DAR), their fellow farmers, and grapevines which include during casual talk, unexpected encounters, meet ups to bond, their daily lives, drinking sessions, and cock fights. Coconut farmers also identified the information they seek, namely, the price of coconut in the market, the advantages and disadvantages of copra and butong, the new types of seedlings, the advantages of the new type of seedlings, the price of the new technology, and other information such as fertilizers and assistance. The study also traced the flow of information. By analyzing the data gathered using the Grounded Theory approach, through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovations, the researcher crafted the Information Management Model (IMM).