Omaña, Aevery Trishi M. <br/><br/>Financial management insights of farmers in Morong, Rizal / Aevery Trishi M. Omaña, Princess Faith G. Talavera, Zai Marie L. Trinidad  -  2024  - xiv, 124 leaves;  28 cm <br/><br/>Undergraduate Thesis <br/><br/>Includes bibliographical references   <br/><br/> This study aimed to determine the financial management insights of farmers in Morong, Rizal, despite farming being considered the backbone of humanity's food supplies, farmers still acquire limited financial gains. The study used a descriptive method of research utilizing a questionnaire checklist as the main instrument in gathering data. To determine their demographic and business profile, frequency, percentage, and rank distribution were utilized. To find out the percentage of the respondent on their financial management insights, a weighted mean is applied. This study aimed to examine the insights of farmers in Morong, Rizall as it foouses on only three farmers associations out of 25 farmers associations with a total of 153 respondents with most farmers aged ranging between 51 - and 60 years old, despite of their age farmers continues to work on the farm as it would only weaken their bodies as they used to work every day. host of the respondents are mate as farming requires physical strength such as land preparation, spraying chemicals, and hauling of inputs and harvested crops. hoost of the respondents were married as women have a major role in decision- making on the farm, including important decisions about purchases. The dominant educational attainment of farmers in the Philippines is at the secondary level, most of the respondent's highest educational attainment was high school level some farmers may have come from a family of farmers and decided to work and aid their family, It was revealed that most of the participants have past experiences in farming where they started this early in life to sustain their families and later retired into those activities even after getting old due to the unavailability of retirement options. Most of them had an average of about two hectares of land to meet their farming needs. The main product of these farmers was palay, while the Uugong Farmers Assoclation, comprising 63 members, was also an integral part of their community. Thus, most of the respondents earned below 5,000 pesos despite their backbreaking efforts, showing the reality of very low income in rural places. Although they had limited money, most of them used their own money to pay off the cost of operations on their farm, showing little reliance on outside financing. The study revealed that the respondent's financial management insights of farmers in terms of savings, budgeting, investing, and debt management are that being aware of the monthly flow of funds amidst having to stick to their budget helps farmers to plan. Also, despite their low income they still can save their income such as setting aside some money in preparation for unforeseen events and future needs, savings will give assurance. Investing can be an unsafe option for some of the farmers due to a tight budget, therefor the respondents set aside some money first for their future investments such as new pieces of equipment. Furthermore, even though the farmers are struggling with their income, they still ensure that borrowing money wouldn't be too much burden for them as they ensure that they fully understand the terms of the loan payment and pay on time, they view borrowing money as only support to other expenses on their farm. This study found that older and middle-aged farmers have similar financial management insights, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational information transfer in farming communities. While the primarily male sample limits the examination of potential gender disparities, more research is needed to understand how gender and marital status influence farmers' financial decisions. Despite these constraints, the study reveals that farmers, regardless of demographic differences, have a common understanding of financial management fundamentals. Experienced farmers understand the need for budgeting in managing production expenses, particularly for large crops such as palay. Savings capacity is determined by income and association membership, with larger landowners having greater access to resources. Income levels and credit availability intluence investment decisions, but saving and debt repayment are frequently priorities. Concerns regarding debt management are common emphasizing the importance of greatest access to formal credit and financial literacy training to shift away from reliance on personal money or loan sources. Farmers confront numerous issues, with climate change emerging as the most pressing concern. Rising temperatures, severe weather events, and unpredictable rainfall patterns harm output and endanger livelihoods. High input prices, notably for fertilizers and insecticides, further reduce profitability. Poor soil health, which is frequently aggravated by inadequate water access, further reduces output. Furthermore, competition from imported agricultural products and the necessity to adopt foreign technologies provide considerable challenges for local farmers. Addressing these difficulties requires immediate action, including the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, access to low-cost inputs, sustainable land management methods, and the implementation of supportive policies that boost local farmers' resilience and competitiveness.