Abstract

As agro-industrialization promotes alterations in the landscape and lifescape of indigenous people (IP) particularly their women who are viewed as ‘carers’ of their environment and ‘bearers’ of their culture, it is interesting to explore how these communities cope and view them as agencies rather than as victims of such changes. Anchored on Gidden’s Structuration theory, this paper aims to describe the Manobo-Pulangihon women’s adaptive strategies on agro-industrialization and explore on the enabling mechanisms that facilitated these strategies. Using qualitative methods (Focus Group Discussions & Key Informant Interviews) and reviewing secondary data, this study revealed that the Manobo-Pulangihon women demonstrated their sense of agency by strategizing psychological, economic, and socio-cultural ways of adaptation to agro-industrialization. It also shows the support of government, a private company, and non-government organization in their adaptation. Thus, knowing the capacities and strategies of women could possibly lead to a more participatory, inclusive and sustainable development in rural communities.