CASE STUDY

Study 2

Economics

How people live;There are about 105 million people living in the Philippines, on 7107 islands. Most of them are still quite young. A high percentage of residents living in the Philippines has settled in the country’s urban centers like Manila or Cebu. This number is constantly growing as more and more people migrate to the cities each year.

About half of the Philippines’ 88 million people live in rural areas. Agriculture is the primary and often only source of income for poor rural people, most of whom depend on subsistence farming and fishing for their livelihoods.Overall, more than a third of the people in the Philippines live in poverty.

The causes of poverty in rural areas in the Philippines vary widely from island to island. Among the causes of rural poverty are a decline in the productivity and profitability of farming, smaller farm sizes and unsustainable practices that have led to deforestation and depleted fishing waters. Rural areas lag behind in economic growth and they have higher underemployment. This is partly because poor people have little access to productive assets and business opportunities. They have few non-farm income-generating activities, and people lack access to microfinance services and affordable credit. Some vulnerable groups also face specific problems.Women have limited roles outside of marketing and family responsibilities.

Diagram illustrating my creative process