From Planning to Collective Enterprise: Implementing Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) in Mountainous Kalinga, Philippines

This study assessed the status, implementation practices, program support, facilitating assets, and challenges of the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program in Kalinga Province to develop evidence-based enhancement measures. A descriptive-correlational design with qualitative supplementation from open-ended survey responses was used. Administrative records verified selected status indicators for 44 officially identified clusters, while 101 survey records represented cluster management, Big Brother organizations, local agriculture offices, and provincial and regional program units. Weighted means, standard deviations, rankings, Spearman rank-order correlation, and thematic grouping were applied. Overall practices were moderate (mean = 3.32). Cluster development planning was strongest (4.12), whereas production and enterprise consolidation was slight (2.39), indicating a gap between formal planning and operational aggregation. Overall support was great (3.74), led by coordination and partnership support (4.55), while operational, production, and logistical resources were moderate (3.05). Across 30 represented clusters, practices and support were positively associated (Spearman rho = 0.391, p = .033). Physical and economic assets were the strongest facilitators, while irregular participation, difficult terrain, personnel turnover, financing constraints, access delays, logistics costs, and unstable markets were major barriers. Open-ended responses emphasized more frequent and inclusive capacity-building, stronger local government engagement, and clearer communication of changing program guidelines. The findings indicate that Kalinga has established organizational and planning foundations but has not yet consistently translated them into coordinated production, aggregation, and commercialization. Program enhancement should prioritize active membership validation, cluster-specific operational support, production and logistics coordination, continuity mechanisms, financing, and sustained market linkages.