From the result of the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF), 670,316 individuals of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) aged 18 and over were recorded and referred to as agricultural population. Out of this, 354,164 were males and 316,152 were females (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over by Sex: CAR, 2022
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Among the six provinces and one Highly Urbanized City (HUC) of CAR, Kalinga has the highest agricultural population with 166,439 followed by Benguet with 155,179, Ifugao with 97,331, Mountain Province with 84,413, Abra with 79,806, Apayao with 77,652, and the City of Baguio with the smallest with 12,496 (Table 1).

Table 1. Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over by Sex: CAR, 2022

Based on the total agricultural population, 28.6% of 191,677 individuals reported ownership or secured rights over their agricultural lands. Agricultural population with ownership or secured rights over agricultural lands refer to agricultural population who owns or are right-bearers of the agricultural land used in operating agricultural activities in 2022. Of this, 37.2% or 131,809 were males, while 18.9% were females (Table 2).

Table 2. Proportion of Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over with Ownership or Secure Rights over Agricultural Land by Sex: CAR, 2022

Mountain Province (37.1%) was highlighted with the highest proportion of agricultural population with ownership or secured rights over their agricultural lands, succeeded by Ifugao (31.9%) and City of Baguio (30.3%). However, Apayao (23.3%) and Benguet (23.4%) were recorded with the lowest proportion of the agricultural population with ownership and secured land rights (Table 3).

Table 3. Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over with Ownership or Secure Rights over Agricultural Land: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), 2022

Almost half of the tenure status of agricultural land in CAR lands were fully owned by 103,064 individuals and 73,268 individuals secured their agricultural land by owner-like possession. Agricultural lands were also occupied by 16,713 tenants while 4,735 individuals leased/rented the agricultural land they are using in their agricultural activities. 2,495 individuals acquired the security of their agricultural lands under government programs (CLOA, CADT, CALT, or CSA/CSC) while 127 individuals were granted rights to manage and use forest resources as agricultural lands (CBFMA, IFMA, FLGA or SLUP).  On the other hand, 1,796 individuals secured their agricultural land through other tenure status (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Agricultural Population 18 years Old and Over with Ownership or Secure Rights over Agricultural Land by Tenure Status of the Agricultural Lands: CAR, 2022

Among the provinces and HUC of CAR, Kalinga recorded the highest agricultural population who fully owned their agricultural lands, with 34,336 individuals. Of these, 25,161 were owned by males and 9,176 were females. It is followed by Benguet with 15, 826 agricultural population,10,207 were males and 5,620 were females. 

Mountain Province recorded 8,300 individuals, which has the least agricultural population who fully owned agricultural lands, of which 5,127 were males and 3,173 were females, but it has the highest agricultural population who has owner-like possession with 21,149 individuals (Table 4).

Table 4. Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over with Ownership or Secure Rights Over Agricultural Land – Fully Owned and Owner-Like Possession by Sex: CAR, 2022

Share of women among agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land 

About 32,388 or 31.4% of the region’s total agricultural population were female individuals who fully owned the agricultural land used in operating the agricultural activities. While, 25,088 (34.2%) have owner-like possession. Thus, the share of women among the ownership or secured rights over agricultural land stood at about one-third of the total agricultural population for both fully owned and owner-like possession. City of Baguio both topped the proportion of women who fully owned and have owner-like possession over agricultural land at 47.3% and 51.2%, respectively, which is also higher than the region’s percentage (Table 5).

Table 5. Percentage Share of Women among Agricultural Population 18 Years Old and Over with Ownership or Secure Rights Over Agricultural Land – Fully Owned and Owner-Like Possession: CAR, 2022

(SGD)
ALDRIN FEDERICO R. BAHIT, JR.
(Chief Statistical Specialist)
Officer-In-Charge

Designation     Initials    Date
SOCD, CSS       AFRB    16 May 2025
SOCD, SuSS     WBM    16 May 2025
SOCD, COSW   TMA     14 May 2025
 

Census of Agriculture and Fisheries a large-scale government undertaking aimed at collecting and compiling basic statistics on the agriculture and fishery sectors in the Philippines. 

Agricultural Land a land devoted to or suitable for the cultivation of the soil, planting of crops, growing of trees, raising of livestock, poultry, fish or aquaculture production, including the harvesting of such farm products, and other farm activities and practices performed in conjunction with such farming operations by persons whether natural or juridical and not classified by law as mineral land, forest land, residential land, commercial land, and industrial land.

Agricultural Population members of the household who depend on agriculture for their economic sustenance. It includes both those actively engaged in agricultural work and their non-working dependents.

Agricultural Population with Ownership or Secure Rights Over Agricultural Lands refer to agricultural population who owns or are right bearers of the agricultural land used in operating agricultural activities in 2022.

Sex determined sex at birth of each household member.