Determinants of coffee farmers’ production challenges in the Philippines: A regression analysis

Smallholder coffee studies in the Philippines largely focus on productivity and technical efficiency, with limited empirical analysis of how socio-demographic and organizational factors shape farmers’ perceived severity of multidimensional production constraints at the association level. This study addressed this gap by examining financial, organizational, production, marketing, and policy-related constraints among 116 coffee farmers affiliated with a rural association in Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. Using descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, the study modeled farmers’ perceived severity of constraints as a function of demographic and institutional variables. Financial and organizational constraints emerged as the most severe dimensions. Regression results indicated that longer association membership and access to credit were significantly associated with lower perceived constraint severity across multiple dimensions, while age increased vulnerability to financial and marketing pressures. Membership duration and credit access demonstrated the strongest mitigating effects. By providing association-level regression evidence, this study contributes to debates on cooperative social capital and rural financial inclusion in smallholder coffee systems. The findings underscore the need to strengthen cooperative governance capacity, promote sustained member engagement, and expand accessible credit mechanisms to enhance value-chain resilience and smallholder sustainability.