PinoyEcoFarmer

We had our vermicomposting bin setup with the help of two friends (Xavier and Malou Peña) over the weekend. They brought a kilo of African Night Crawlers (ANC) worms and showed us how to properly prepare the bed.

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Carbonized rice hull is a crucial ingredient of bokashi organic fertilizer and can also be used in composting toilets and animal bedding. CRH results from the incomplete combustion of rice hulls under high heat and low oxygen conditions (pyrolysis). Pyrolysis causes the decomposition of organic materials such as lignin and cellulose, leaving a residue of carbon and mineral nutrients.

Click on Carbonized Rice Hull to view in pdf format.

The document was done by one of the members of Natural Farming Philippines.

The three-day 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival will open on May 28, 2010 (Friday) at the AANI Herbal Garden and Livelihood Center at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City. The event will end on Sunday, May 30, 2010.

The organic fest will be participated in by organic farming practitioners, advocates from the government, academe and the private sector. Various organic products will be exhibited for sale by growers and processors of various commodities.

Expected to grace the 3-day festival are:

1. Pablito Villegas (trustee of the Organic Produce Trade Association, owner of Villegas Organic Farm, and convenor for Asia of the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organization)
2. Sen. Miguel Zubiri (one of the principal authors of the Philippine Organic Agriculture Law)
3. Rep. Proceso J. Alcala (Congressman of Quezon Province and a staunch advocate of natural farming)
4. Armand and Teresa Saniano of the Earthkeepers (Teresa Saniano write a book on natural farming)

The Quizon Farm in Antipolo City will also display live turkeys as well as processed turkey meat products.

The exhibits, the forums and seminars are open free to the public. The event organizer, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, is the Agri-Aqua Network International (AANI). Pol Rubia is AANI’s vice president and operations manager.

See you there.

Note: Article is a repost.

“Worm composting is a process for recycling food waste into a rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner. One of its advantages is that it can be done indoors and outdoors, allowing year-round composting. Worm composts can be made in containers filled with moistened bedding.”

Vermicomposting is indeed a nice way to manage our biodegradable scraps/wastes and turn them into something useful for our garden. I found this Guide to Vermiculture and Vermicomposting from the Bureau Plant Industry website which is a useful reference to get us started. The document focuses on the production of organic fertilizer through the action of earthworms. There are many other resources on vermiculture and vermicomposting including a series of brief articles posted on EntrePinoys which will further enhance our understanding. A more comprehensive reference is the Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture By Glenn Munroe. The document can also be viewed from the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada.

Other Resources You May Like:

• Start Your Own Worm Farm

Balai Buhay is nestled on the slopes of Mt. Bulusan in the province of Sorsogon. The farm is in Baranggay San Roque just a few meters away from the chapel. There is a sloping access road from the main highway leading to the parking area. My brother told me about this place two years ago but I have not had a chance to visit it. Finally, we decided to drop by on our way back from a kayaking trip at the Bulusan Lake.

The farm doubles as a resort complete with a function hall and accommodation that can house about 40 guests. A room costs P1,000 for an overnight stay. A day tour will cost P80 per person with a complimentary drink of cold calamansi juice.

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My trips to my home province of Sorsogon will not be complete without visiting the Our Lady of Penafrancia Seminary which is my highschool alma mater. The visit this time was doubly satisfying because it gave me an opportunity to see and admire the Sustainable Agriculture Center (SAC). The SAC manages the greenhouses on the seminary grounds in front of the Home for the Clergy and the open field farm at the back part.

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Mama has always been into gardening ever since I was a young boy. It is no wonder that I have a fascination with gardening as well. I recently had a chance to see her garden again when I went home to our province in Sorsogon for a brief vacation.

There is  really nothing extraordinary about her garden but I think what is more important is that it serves the purpose of providing them with some common everyday vegetables which otherwise would have been bought from the market.

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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