Abstract

The Department of Agrarian Reform plans to develop a sugarcane block farm enterprise in Bismartz Agrarian Reform Community in Don Carlos, Bukidnon to alleviate poverty among small sugarcane farmers. With this, the Bismartz Small Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative (BSFMPC) was assessed through survey and focus group discussion in determining its agricultural and organizational capacity to implement a sugarcane block farm enterprise in Bismartz ARC. The study shows an experienced local organization established since 1993 that engaged in small-scale agricultural enterprises where farmers share information, skills, and knowledge in farming and have exhibited high social capital in terms of empowerment and political action, trust and solidarity, and social cohesion and inclusion. However, information, technical, and market inefficiencies within and outside the farmers’ cooperative could affect the development of sugarcane block farm enterprise in the ARC. Together with the provision of interventions regarding capability building and common service facilities, the Department of Agrarian Reform could utilize the high social capital among the farmers in consolidating small sugarcane farms into a sugarcane block farm enterprise.