PinoyEcoFarmer

An agrarian reform beneficiary in Daraga, Albay has found a “gold mine” in manually extracted virgin pili nut oil he himself developed painstakingly for six months shortly after attending a government-sponsored pili nut food processing course early last year, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said Thursday.

Victor Ramon Goyena, 50, a civil engineering graduate, said it took him six months of experimentation before he finally perfected in October last year the extraction of virgin pili nut oil from newly harvested nuts. “The temperature plays a very important role in maintaining the nutritional potency of the oil. Only when no alteration of its nutrient composition can we claim it as ‘virgin oil,’” he said. Goyena added that he got hooked into this undertaking after attending a series of trainings on pili nut food processing sponsored by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Albay.

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There’s this interesting food place inside the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City where one could imagine being in the midst of a coconut grove though there are no coconut tress around. It’s where people can find “the best coconut ice cream in the world” and very wide array of food all made from coconut. Coconut House is owned by Jun Castillo, an entrepreneur advocate for the Philippine coconut as food.

Castillo believes in the power of the coconut fruit as a health food for the Filipino people. Not for the processed, unnatural and foreign food fare found in fast-food joints and supermarkets, but in the vein of the natural, indigenous, whole foods promoted by the worldwide Slow Food Movement. The food in Coconut House is so amazing that the organizers of the people’s party last June 30 when President Aquino was installed chose it to be one of the official caterers for the guests and dignitaries celebrating the event in Quezon Circle. Kris Aquino was there, reportedly thrilled by the taste and feel of cool coconut water cum lemon grass served in a drinking glass made of fresh bamboo.

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On-going studies continue to suggest new ways at looking at natural herbs, paving the way to more business opportunities, like what these companies have found:

DXN
Products: Reisho Gani (RG), Ganocelium (GL) and Lingzhi Coffee
Mode of distribution: Multi-level marketing
Unique Selling Point: Ganoderma Mushroom as key ingredient to its products. The company’s “One World One Market” approach, which means every step of the process—from cultivation, processing and packaging, to marketing of the products— is carried out solely by the company under strict quality control.

R.L.N. Malunggay Herb Tea Manufacturing
Products: Sun Angel Malunggay herb tea, powder and capsules
Mode of distribution: Mercury Drug outlets and through its web site (www.malunggayherbtea.com)
Unique Selling Point: Uses 100 percent malunggay (moringa) leaves in their products, the company being a staunch supporter of breastfeeding, of which malunggay is believed to be a natural aid.

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At first glance, Ruby Cruz seems like any other participant selling herbal remedies at the Megatrade Hall’s event emphasizing organic solutions for health-conscious Filipinos. Eager to have people try their latest product, a dietary supplement called Hydrolean, she chats with visitors sampling the vermillion-colored drink, explaining that the slight itch they feel at the back of their throat is from the ginger extract, while the color of the drink comes from Roselle extract—a natural anti-oxidant that gives the product its cranberry flavor and inhibits the conversion of carbohydrate into fat.

This writer was given five packs of Hydrolean to try out in five days, and while it must honestly be said that the results are inconclusive, the effects of the product cannot be shrugged off. Drinking it just before going on a stationary bicycle for 30 to 45 minutes, the product causes one to sweat more, and possibly makes you want to pedal a bit faster than usual, and represses the urge to snack in between meals. At P700 for 14 sachets, it may be what some people need before the start of their day.

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Larry Milloroso, a 43-year old farmer from Barangay Dongon East in Numancia, Aklan is glad he has shifted to natural rice farming. Among the reasons he practices natural farming in his farm include getting a good harvest, additional profit, healthier environment, and chemical-free rice on the table.

Larry cultivates a 5,500-square meter irrigated ricefield that he planted to NSIC Rc 120 this season. In Aklan where farmers’ landholdings are commonly small and contiguous, this area can already be considered good enough to produce rice for family consumption and have some extra harvest for sale. He also grows latundan banana on 1,000 square meters, and mungbean and squash in the adjacent 1,000 square meters.

Larry learned about natural farming from PINA Foundation Inc., a non-government organization funded by the Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund which aims to help farmers increase production and income through sustainable agriculture. In 2003, PINA Foundation office in Kalibo, Aklan conducted a six-month season-long farm school in Numancia where Larry was one of the 15 enrollees.

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Atis (Anona squamosa), a tropical plant that usually grows spontaneously in the Philippines, aside from bearing fruits of white, sweet, soft, juicy and mild agreeable flavored flesh, also yields leaves where government health researchers found extracts for the formulation of an effective anti-mosquito repellant.

As a result of its latest studies on atis, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) said it has came out with the Atis Lotion Mosquito Repellent that was formulated using the extracts of its leaves mixed with other locally available materials. “This mosquito repellent will surely be a great help to the efforts of the government to address the dengue fever-menace currently spreading terror among residents especially school-age children in various parts of the country,” Tomas Briñas, the regional director for Bicol of the DOST announced.

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I came across products developed by scientists of Biotech UP Los Banos in Laguna which I think are very useful in farming and other applications.

Above: Taken from BioLife (Quarterly Magazine of Biotechnology) Vol1 No2 April-June 2005 Issue

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Green is definitely in. But do most of us really understand what green is and what it represents? Sadly, there are still those who have so many misconceptions that sometimes border on the hilarious.

Take this as an example. A friend (Jenny Bonto of Green Babes*) who is a very engaging speaker/writer/artist/entrepreneur related some rather awkward encounters with customers while selling “green” chicken in tiangges (bazaars). The most common would be “kulay green ba ang chicken? patingin nga…“  (is the chicken green, let me see).  – as if they were really expecting Incredible Hulkish-chickens inside the coolers only to be disappointed to see “typical” dressed chicken. Others would ask:   eh bakit daw mahal??? pareho naman ng timbang.? (why is it more expensive? it weighs the same as ordinary chicken?). To which she would patiently explain that ordinary chicken is TINIMBANG KA NGUNIT KULANG (loosely translated as “you were weighed but found lacking”) in protein.. antioxidants.. sobra ng (too much of) hormones.

They are called “GREEN” chicken because they “are raised outside on pasture rather than in crowded poultry houses. They have constant access to a natural diet and enjoy plenty of fresh air and sunshine. It does not use artificial growth promotants; does not feed meat or bone meal; and does not use antibiotics”.

Sometimes it frustrates her realizing that it is indeed hard to sell the truth (mahirap magbenta ng katotohanan!). Stories like these  made me realize that we still have a long way to go in educating most of the consumers. We must keep on patiently pushing though. If it is any consolation,  some corporations are now actively helping spread the sensibility of truly living the “green” way of life.

If you have a choice, would you rather have “green” chicken for your family knowing that it is safer? Or you’d rather go for the usual factory-raised, hormone-pumped and antibiotic-injected chicken we have grown accustomed to? You decide.

*Green Babes is a group of women entrepreneurs who are into the green advocacy. They are marketing/selling organically/naturally produced items. These women participate in various small bazaars to bring these products closer to the consumers. They will be at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center (Filinvest, Alabang) bazaar on May 3-6, 2010.

Jenny Bonto gets the “green” chicken from the Herb Republic at Los Banos, Laguna. She told me that Herb Republic is already selling “green” pork.

Note: The green chicken glassware image was lifted from www.allaboutnature.org