Author : Agustin, Edito T.

Summary : A study was conducted to determine the sustainability of the AEOP (Agricultural Education Outreach Project)-assisted outreach projects of the Aklan Agricultural College based in Banga, Aklan, the Philippines. AEOP is a joint undertaking of the Government of the Philippines through its National Economic and Developemnt Authority (NEDA) and the Government of the United States of America through its United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Specifically, the study aimed to: a) present the socio-economic profile of the OOP's farmers-cooperators in the six villages; b) determine the extent of sustainability of the farmer-cooperators' crop and animal projects; c) find out the differences in the sustainability of the farmer-cooperators' projects among the six villages; and d) identify the factors related to sustainability of these projects. Using stratified sampling, respondents of the study were 206 AEOP farmer-cooperators from the villages of Agbanawan, Polocate, Sigcay, Dingle, San Isidro, and Sibalew, all located in the municipality of Banga, Aklan. Data were gathered using an interview schedule. The respondents were generally old (53 years), had attended elementary grades, have five family members, have been farming for 27 years, and earning an annual an income of P7,974.20 (US$319) from their farming activities. Sixty-six percent of the respondents were owner-operators. Their projects were mostly on vegetables, fruits, citrus, swine, and poultry. At the time of the study,, 67 percent of the crop projects and 58 percent of the animal projects were ongoing. Most of the respondents adopted the crop production practices introduced by the student outreach agents (SOAs), while 20 percent adopted the introduced animal production practices. Land use was generally low. The rainfed rice project occupied the biggest mean area, followed by citrus. Crop and animal projects in Sibalew significantly differed from those in the other villages in that most projects were observed to be highly sustainable. At the time of the study,, 67 percent of the crop projects and 58 percent of the animal projects were ongoing. Most of the respondents adopted the crop production practices introduced by the student outreach agents (SOAs), while 20 percent adopted the introduced animal production practices. Land use was generally low. The rainfed rice project occupied the biggest mean area, followed by citrus. Crop and animal projects in Sibalew significantly differed from those in the other villages in that most projects were observed to be highly sustainable.