A study being conducted by the University of Guam will give small-scale farmers more information about how much money they’ll need to grow crops on the island.
Their data collection, which began in 2024 and will continue through next year, will result in average cost-of-production budgets for 15 of Guam’s highest volume crops.
The last production estimates were done was 1999, according to Kuan-Ju Chen, an agricultural economist with UOG Land Grant.
Chen is conducting the study with L. Robert Barber, an extension specialist in agricultural economics and sustainable agriculture, and extension horticulturalist Jesse Bamba with UOG Land Grant.
“A major problem we have in Guam is that many farmers — and particularly new farmers — don’t know what their cost is for growing a crop, so they don’t know how to price it. They don’t know how low they can go to compete with imported goods and still make a profit,” Barber said.
The initial round of data collection, focusing on cucumber, eggplant hot peppers and tomato crops, has already been completed. The researchers collected information on costs for material and labor, and later on crop yield and income.
Eventually, the production budgets will help determine what price crops should be sold at to break even.
More farmers are needed to participate in this study for a weekly stipend. Farmers are needed who are growing at least a 100-foot row of the following crops: lettuce, watermelon, long beans, okra, melons, wing beans, pechay/bok choy, kangkong, squash, bittermelon, and daikon radish.
Participation involves a weekly check-in to share information on their efforts and costs on the crop being studied. Farmers will be compensated $50 per week of reported data, up to 16 weeks. To participate in the study, email Katherine Perez at perezk10766@triton.uog.edu or call (671) 735-2080.