PinoyEcoFarmer

I think that one of the foundations of being a good farmer is the drive to constantly get more and more information. I know there is no substitute for the actual farming but the theory helps a lot.

These are excerpts from Rodel G. Maghirang’s paper on Organic Vegetable Production, Institute of Plant Breeding College of Agriculture University of the Philippines Los Baños (April 2004):

Combination Planting

• Chilli- with okra, eggplant, radish
• Cabbage- with onion and tomato
• Tomato- with carrot, cucumber, onion, garlic
• Cucumber- with radish, corn, lettuce
• Peanut- with corn, okra
• Radish-with cucumber, tomato. Chilli

Use pest repellent plants

• Spices (onion, garlic, leek, lemon grass, ginger, turmeric)
• Flowering plants (marigold, cosmos, sunflower, zinnia)
• Herbs (basil, tarragon, coriander)

Pest and their repellants

• Ants – mint
• Aphids – garlic, chives, cilantro/coriander/wansoy, anise
• Beetle – tomato, radish, marigold
• Borers – onion, garlic
• Cabbage moth – mint, celery
• Mites – onion, garlic, chives
• Nematode – marigold, dahlia, calendula, asparagus
• Whitefly – marigold

Internet has surely revolutionized a lot of things. One of the many advantages it brought is that it has eased the access to information and collaboration among like-minded individuals. As farmers we can also take advantage of the internet. The information is just there for learning and discussion . It is just up to us to discern what would be the best practice that will most benefit  us and the environment.

These are some of the local groups that I recommend:

1.  Natural Farming in the Philippines

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/natural_farming_philippines/);

Worldwide, the growing demand for safe, pesticide-free and naturally-farmed products trigger interest on natural and organic farming. Still considered as a budding sector in Philippine agriculture, nonetheless, organic food production belongs to the top ten priority sectors for revenue development in the Philippines (DTI, 2006). Thus, the Executive Order 481 aims to “promote agriculture development, conserve environmental resources and promote social equity and product access to foreign and domestic markets.”

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Our trip to the University of the Philippines Los Banos  (UPLB) to attend the Centennial Celebrations gave a me a chance to meet two ladies who are into organic products. Melda Pantua of Herb Republic (which I wrote about in “A Herb Republic Rises”) and Adelfa M. Nuestro of Delfa’s Organic Products. Aling Delfa sells a variety of organic products including instant ginger tea (a personal favorite), peanut butter (creamy and chunky varieties), Tsokolate Alfonso (tablea de cacao), cafe barako/ coffee alamid, Luyang Dilaw Tea (turmeric), assorted pastillas, ube/ coco/ coco-pili / pineapple jams and black ground pepper.

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We chanced upon this small stall in the Student Union (SU) Building at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) when we went there to join the Centennial Celebrations. The Herb Republic booth sells herbs and vegetables which they harvest directly from their small farm in a nearby baranggay. Their slogan is “From Seed to Table”.

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