Lived Experiences Among Handicraft Entrepreneurs in Josefina, Zamboanga Del Sur
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65339/ijsis.V1.I3.212Keywords:
Coping Strategies, Handicraft Entrepreneurship, Lived Experiences, Livelihood Sustainability, Phenomenological Study, Rural Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Livelihood Framework, Thematic AnalysisAbstract
This study explored the lived experiences of handicraft entrepreneurs in Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur, a rural municipality where handicraft-making serves as a primary or supplementary livelihood reliant on local materials, traditional craftsmanship, and small-scale production. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihood Framework and a phenomenological perspective, the research examined production and selling experiences, challenges encountered, coping strategies, and needed support. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Thirty handicraft entrepreneurs from the barangays of Bogo Calabat, Sebukang, Nopulan, Mansanas, and Nemeno were purposively selected based on active involvement in producing and selling products such as bukag (woven baskets), banig (woven mats), and pugaran (chicken coops). Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four major themes described the lived experiences: Family-Inherited Handicraft Livelihood, Handicraft Production as a Source of Income, Manual Handicraft Production, and Unstable Selling Experiences. Seven challenges were identified: limited access to raw materials, risks in gathering raw materials, time-consuming production, lack of sure buyers, low profit and price bargaining, competition with modern and plastic products, and weather-related production delays. Participants coped through family cooperation and shared labor, price and product adjustments, budgeting and financial discipline, self-sourcing of raw materials, and continuous market searching. Four forms of government support were needed: transportation for product collection, display centers, financial assistance, and training for product development. The findings show that handicraft entrepreneurship remains a family-based livelihood sustained through resilience and adaptation, yet improved institutional support is required to strengthen sustainability, market opportunities, and the continuity of traditional practices. The study aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by addressing rural income generation, traditional enterprise viability, and alternatives to plastic products. Its sustainability impact lies in informing institutional and policy measures that enhance economic resilience, social cohesion through family-based production, and the long-term preservation of community-based craft livelihoods.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ma. Florence C. Quimbo, Chelyn Joy A. Gerosano, Hazel R. Indangan, Mark Stephene T. Magno (Author)
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