Spirituality and Business Sustainability

There has been a steady decline in coffee production and general farming activity in Amadeo, Cavite—farmers lament that their soil is acidic, causing a significant drop in coffee yields, while conversion of farmlands to housing and commercial establishments is on the rise. Viewing these recent changes in light of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’, it is clear that the sustainability of local farms and their ecology is under threat, and that a Christian viewpoint would yield a deeper understanding and solution to this emerging problem. For this study, therefore, data on the spirituality
of farm owners in Amadeo, Cavite was collected and analyzed to determine the relationship between their spirituality and the sustainability of their
farms. Spirituality was defined using a composite of personal spirituality, social responsibility, and stewardship, while sustainability consisted of three components: sustainability of family needs, plans to sell, and plans to convert to non-agricultural land. Results showed that personal spirituality was positively associated with farms sustaining family needs; stewardship and social responsibility practices, on the other hand, produced mixed results.