Organic Farming in the Philippines

 

You are what you eat.  It basically means that for you to be fit and healthy, you need to eat good food. Having a healthy lifestyle these days is important especially with the kind of world that we are living in right now. Running, playing sports and other activities is good but not enough if we don't eat the right food.

 

We traveled to Benguet together with the team of Department of Agriculture and other online bloggers to get the full grasp on what organic farming is. Organic agriculture is not new, it is centuries old and has been used by our ancestors. (no wonder why they lived longer than the people of this generation)

First stop is at Lily of the Valley. Owned and operated by Mr. Jefferson Laruan and Elisa Laruan. 

 

This 6,000 sqm farm in La Trinidad, Benguet produces Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, lettuce and many other greens. Mr. Jefferson Laruan shared that he is a 4th generation farmer and that his grandparents was organic farmers too. He has been farming long way back but started organic farming completely in 2005.

Why? An incident with farming chemicals happened that left him unconscious for more than a day. Since then, he has been farming organic and never looked back.

I've asked Mr. Laruan if they use animal manure. They don't. They use compost. Using the grass, weeds and other plants around the farm.

They pile it up, and let nature do its thing. Of course they have to turn it every few days to let it breathe. They also use this wood juice called Murosako (not sure of the spelling) It is also used as pest control.

You may get in touch with Mr. Jefferson C. Laruan. Thru his mobile number: 0949-3997126. Or email them at lilyofthevalley.benguet@gmail.com and visit their site http://lilyofthevalley-organicfarms.webs.com/

Few things I picked up in this tour.
- These chemicals and fertilizers being sold in the market. Don't believe them when they breakdown the benefits to you. They are seriously harmful. Nothing beats natural.
- Manure out. Composting in!
- Organic is a rewarding business.


Next farm we visited was The Master's Garden. Owner Mr. Ambrosio "Pat" Acosta also teaches organic farming in this place that he has.

 

He was really good in sharing and explaining to our group the process and the benefits of organic farming. kept us interested with his visual support in explaining about organic farming.

He always makes sure that his crops grow on a healthy soil, that is what's important. That is why he also doesn't add anything but natural in his compost. Sir Pat's major goal is to encourage other farmers to go back to basics an in to Organic Farming.

 

Sir Pat doesn't use murosako, he emphasizes on compost. It is the most important factor in organic farming he said. This would be the best fertilizer that are full of nutrients that are absorbed by the soil making the crops grow healthy.

The Master's Garder is one of the first few farms to have been certified as an organic farm. The 2-day training program cost 1,000 per person, per day with lunch, snacks and materials. The Master's Garden can be reached through sir Pat Acosta at 0917-9258499 and though Ms. Ana at 0917-6468134.

 

Here's Mr. Pats comparison on organic and chemical.

Another organic farmer is Mr. Felix Tan of Garden of Life. He signed up for Pat's classes and now practices organic agriculture in his farm.

He basically applies what he has leaned from Pat Acosta. He grows wheat grass along with other vegetables that he has on his farm.

Mr. Felix showing up is composting area. Just look at that big pile!

After the tour from Mr. Pat Acosta and Mr. Felix Tan, I've realized that even though we are eating greens and thought that these are healthy, we can't be too sure. Not all greens are 100% healthy and not all came from an organic farm.

Few things I picked up in this tour.
- Having a healthy soil is important.
- Seed Setting and transplanting.
- Manures are good for ornamental plants, but not on vegetables you eat.

Organic farming is certainly booming. It is the future of Philippine agriculture and I do hope that the government is fully supporting this.

My next post on organic farming would be from a coffee farm in Sagada. Will post it soon! :)

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