PinoyEcoFarmer

In the sleepy market of San Jose District in Puerto Princesa, Palawan lies a small garden planted to a variety of vegetables and herbs. The owner is an old lady who has spent most of her life advocating natural healing through the inclusion of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet. Sylvia Dumo Pendon who calls her advocacy  the “Natural Diet for Disease Prevention and Life Extension” is a retired nutritionist who spent most of her professional years in Quezon City but has since moved to Palawan. She told us that moving to the province to pursue her passion of growing vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants was part of her retirement plan.

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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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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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The country’s organic farming movement will get the needed boost as the Department of Agriculture is alloting an initial P900 million next year to implement various initiatives under the “Organic Agriculture Act of 2010” or Republic Act No. 10068.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the amount will bankroll four major imperatives, in a speech during the 7th National Organic Agriculture Congress, held November 16, in Lucena City, attended by about 750 organic farming advocates, farmers, private entrepreneurs, NGOs, and DA and local agriculture officials.

The four major concerns include policy formulation on organic agriculture products regulation and registration, accreditation, certification and labelling; research, development and extension of appropriate sustainable environment and gender-friendly organic agriculture; promotion of the establishment of facilities that produce organic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other farm inputs, certification process; and implementation of organic agricultural programs, projects and activities, and provision and delivery of support services to farmers and other stakeholders.

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Our weekend visit to the University of the Philippines Los Banos to attend an activity at the Boy Scouts Campsite gave us a reason to finally drop-by the Herb Republic Restaurant for lunch. The heavy traffic (it took us 3 hours to get to Los Banos from Cavite) did not dampen our moods. It was already past 12 when we got there. The place was a oasis considering the searing heat of the midday sun.

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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

open source video, online video platform, video streaming, video solutions Most people use herbs to give food a bit of extra taste and flavour, but in this episode, ethnobotanist James Wong explores their more traditional use in helping treat a range of minor everyday ailments, from cold sores and insect bites to bad breath. Sufferers try them out to see if these natural remedies help relieve their symptoms.

James also uses peppermint to whip up a fragrant homemade body scrub.

The comics starts with questions to serve as GUIDE TO CONSCIENTIOUS FARMING:

What happens to the land?
What happens to the food it produces?
What happens to the people who eat it?
What will eventually happen to the communities?

The publication explains to farmers the Difference Between Chemical and Organic Farming, Crop Differences Between Chemical Farming and Organic Farming, Health and Social Differences, Economic Differences and the Myths and Realities of Organic Farming. This comics also serves as an educational material to promote the benefits of organic farming compared to the synthetic chemical-based farming. The publication was supported by the Australian Government (AusAID) and the Foundation for Sustainable Society Inc.

Click on Cover Page to download.