The paper delved into the lives of Koronadal City corn farmers to build a case for a holistic, in-depth study of the corn farming and communication system in Koronadal City, South Cotabato, Philippines.

The study (1) developed a profile of Koronadal City corn farmers; (2) identified stakeholders groups and their roles; (3) described their information channels and other communication factors; and (4) proposed strategies to enhance communication in the Koronadal City corn farming system.

Thirty-five Koronadal City corn farmers were interviewed as study participants. The responses were documented through interview transcriptions that were analyzed using themeing the data and axial coding. Frequency and percentage were also used in data analysis.

Koronadal City corn farmers initially planted rice, adopted biotech corn, and diversified their farming to include other crops and vegetables. They were male and female lowland, smallholder farmers who owned the land they managed through inheritance or mortgage and earned a gross income of Php 50,000 and below per cropping cycle.

Three stakeholder groups performed various roles in the Koronadal City corn farming system. Information channels were mostly interpersonal and mediated. Sources and receivers included corn farmers, government agencies, barangay officials, and private entities. Trust and credibility linked corn farmers with government agencies. Corn farmers sought information on cost of new seeds, agriculture supply products, and solutions to their farming problems. Their modes of information transfer and communication flow were formal and informal.

The proposed communication strategies consisted of mobilizing and organizing the community of corn farmers, and addressing communication gaps among key stakeholders. The city agriculture office, village councils, and state colleges and universities can serve as key actors in improving communication and organization of the Koronadal City corn farming system.