PinoyEcoFarmer

We did not expect to see any macapuno in one of our coconut harvests but were pleasantly surprised when we found two nuts among the heap of coconuts that we gathered. Pinpointing the tree though would be a really big challenge as we have no idea where those specifically came from and there is a great chance that not all the nuts coming from that specific tree would be macapuno.

I guess we just have to rely on luck and just enjoy the little vat of sweetened macapuno for now. Who knows nature may give us more.

An opportunity to visit this odorless and relatively fly-free hog farm presented itself when a environmentalist friend suggested it in our itinerary during our recent Bacolod trip. The owner’s son who is also an active environmental advocate in Negros Occidental arranged our trip to their farm in Victorias City.

The farm is located in the vicinity of the city just at the back of a big grocery store but it does not create a problem because of its unconventional way of waste management. It is amazing considering that it houses about 800 heads of hogs in any given time. In addition to probiotic spraying to prevent the multiplication of flies, the farm likewise employs natural processes using azolla and quiapo as consumers of manure. These nutrient-rich plants which carpet the ponds are then used as feed supplements and vermifeed that sustain the other livestock in the farm including ducks and chicken.

Another attraction that is rising within the compound is the a majestic house constructed out of lime and wood. The bricks are made of lime and cement mixture pressed into strong building blocks. The upper portion is primarily of wood and bamboo. The roof is cogon grass complementing the nature design.

A Malay-inspired pond house sits on a body of water teeming with koi and other water plants.  Trellises constructed out of bamboo are neatly positioned along the pathways. A variety of creeping vegetable vines (some with fruits) serve as a shade. No space is seemingly wasted. Plots of medicinal and aromatic herbs are neatly positioned at the sides accenting the whole place creating a garden-like ambiance.

The integrated farm has its own windmill that powers the water pump in the compound. The water requirement is surely enormous considering the number of hog pens that needs to be cleaned. The wastewater drains into the ponds where the azolla grows.

The farm is indeed a showcase of an urban-based food production that blends well with its surroundings. And for the weary, a blissful place to relax.

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” 
Masanobu Fukuoka, One-Straw Revolution

A recent acquisition of about 2,000+ sqm meter farmlot (mid July of this year) somewhere in the highlands of Alfonso spurred a regular weekend love affair with farming. This has been a long time coming after a discouraging attempt to takeover a smaller farm property somewhere near Dasmarinas, Cavite that never materialized. An unexpected offer by longtime friends Henry and Cris Arceo to be their neighbors in the Alfonso farmlot paved the way for this quite addictive (I must admit) venture. The opportunities all unexpectedly fell into place with the concessions given by the kind sellers.

Farming has become a therapy. A weekend stay at the farm recharges me for another week of office work. My wife (Hilda) and two kids (Julius and Juliene) have joined me in these getaways. The kids never miss to enjoy the springs and river below the property while I supervise the farm work that needed to be done. A stay at the little farm has become something of a regular event to look forward to even with just the most spartan facilities that we have so far.

It was like a jungle when we first saw the property due to years of neglect and abandon. The vines have crept and invaded the santol, coconut, lansones and avocado trees that consequently blocked the sunlight from reaching the rich soil below the thick canopies. Practically nothing was done to take care of the property and the trees planted to it. There was little activity except for the occasional harvesting of coconuts sold to middlemen at ridiculously cheap prices. We saw a lot of work that needs to be done yet we took the challenge and has never regretted the decision.

With a collective area of half-hectare farm space, we set a general direction of what we intend to do with the tiny farm which is to be an ecologically sound and sustainable natural/organic farm on this scale. This is a fairly manageable area at this point considering the time and resources that we can afford to allot. The farm is a work in progress and as rookie farmers (all I have are theories although I was trained to be a farmer) we surely need a lot of help from both veteran and new farmer friends who share the same passion and enthusiasm that we have.

I will attempt to chronicle and share our experiences, successes as well as failures along with posts on various protocols done by others so other farmers who will read this can learn and hopefully share theirs as well.   The internet has made and facilitated knowledge sharing that is unprecedented which we can use to our advantage. It has provided us with a wealth of information. Farmers can really learn a lot from each other but at the end of the day there is no better judge on what will work best in their farms than the farmer themselves.

We were fortunate to be granted a chance to visit again the St Paul University Dumaguete (SPUD) Integrated and Sustainable Farm in Calo, Dumaguete City during our recent trip there. It has been six months since we were there and  I was surprised to see a lot of amazing changes.

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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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a lush ricefield

What does it take to convert a rice field cultivated the conventional way into an organic farm? One technique is to follow the system of Pastor Jerry Dionson of Humayan Ministry in Bago City, Negros Occidental. He has been helping the farmers in this rice bowl of Negros in converting conventionally farmed fields into organic farms.

Dionson and his farming colleagues have good reasons for converting rice fields into organic farms. For one, it is economical to produce rice the organic way since the farmers themselves are taught to make their own fertilizers and plant protection inputs. Usually, an organic farmer can grow organic rice at a cash expense of only about P14,700 per hectare. For another reason, the price of organic rice is much higher than the conventionally produced grains. The selling price is P60 to P80 per kilo.

As per the experience at the Humayan Ministry, the yield increases as the years pass by. In 2005, when they started converting their farms, the yield was only 75 cavans of palay per hectare. This increased to 87 cavans in 2006, 93 cavans in 2007, 115 cavans in 2008 and then 128 cavans in 2009.

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The chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and aquatic Resources (BFAR) is encouraging fish Dagupan farmers to adopt the Isda’t Gabi (Fish and Taro) Culture, an agro-aqua integrated farming technology found to be technically practical and profitable for household-backyard food production. Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR-National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center chief in Dagupan City, said they are implementing this project in Sto. Tomas, La Union and in the BFAR compound in Bgy. Bonuan Binloc.

Gabi-fish culture can provide a net profit of about P362,000 per hectare in five months, Rosario said. He said the integrated culture of isda and gabi results in increased soil fertility, reduction of weeding cost and optimization of soil use and farm space. He said there are fish species that are suitable for farming together with gabi like tilapia, African catfish (locally known as hito) and freshwater prawn (or ulang to local folks).

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There’s an enterprising balikbayan in Brgy. San Pedro, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija who grows vegetables in sacks instead of in plots in the ground. She is Thelma Villaroman Zara who used to work for an aviation company in Anaheim, California.

Her duplex house has been attracting a lot of visitors not only from the neighborhood but also from nearby towns. That’s because of the very impressive display of vegetables that are planted in used sacks around the house. Thelma’s house stands on about 2,000 square meters of land. The big space around the house is mostly cemented and is used for drying palay during the dry season. When the area is not used for drying palay, it is not really productive so she decided to do something unusual. She planted different kinds of vegetables in used fertilizer sacks.

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