PinoyEcoFarmer

The pili (Canarium ovatum) tree is the source of the pili nut which is made into delicacies that are the pride of the Bicol Region. What most people don’t know is that the bark of the pili yields a valuable resin – known as “Manila elemi” – which is used in the paint, pharmaceuticals, printing and perfume industries.

However, despite the fact that 225,000 pili trees grow in the Bicol provinces, there exists virtually no resin harvesting enterprises in most parts of the region.

To help start a sustainable industry, the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) started three years ago teaching pili growers and farmers the scientific way of resin gathering. “The resin must be tapped the right way to make sure that the pili trees are not harmed and their yields are sustained. Over-tapping, deep tapping and frequent re-chipping can damage and eventually kill the trees,” explains FPRDI’s forester Arsenio B. Ella.

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I was quite surprised to see a hydroponics set-up opposite the marker of the the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park. The two-table set-up is in a sleepy and laid-back barangay of San Roque, Bulusan, Sorsogon. They grow lettuce and harvest them after 30 days.

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The Sorsogon City Plant Nursery is just a walking distance away from our home in Sorsogon but I have yet to visit it until my recent trip home. The city nursery sits on a vacant lot at the Sts. Peter and Paul Subdivision near Gate 3.  I went there a day before going home back to Cavite.

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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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One of the most abundant by-products of coconut is the husk. However, most of it just end up as waste.  One cooperative is turning this abundant by-product into something of economic value.

I saw this small coconut husk processing plant in our subdivision in Sorsogon. The Coconut Husk Processing and Marketing Plant is operated by the Maharlika Development Cooperative (MADECO) in partnership with the City Government of Sorsogon. The equipment is a grant from Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional – Oficina de Tecnica Cooperacion (Spain).

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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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