Capitol Promotes Organic Farming Method, Helps Local Farmers Increase Income
For years, fifty-five years old Maria Cabañog of Barangay Anao in Ginatilan, south Cebu had been tilling the soil using synthetic fertilizers and chemicals in growing her farm products and unmindful of the health hazards it poses to consumers.
But everything changed since she was introduced by the Cebu Provincial Government through the Provincial Agriculture Office, to organic farming methods.
For a year now, Cabañog, president of the Anao Farmers’ Association (AFA) along with its more than 15 active members have been growing and selling safe, nutritious and healthy organically-grown vegetables and other farm products.
In June 2017, Cabañog and the active organic farmers and members of their association went through a series of trainings, including the Farmer-Scientist Training Program (FSTP), organized and conducted by the Provincial Agriculture Office in collaboration with the local government unit of Ginatilan.
Local farmers were taught how to make fertilizer concoctions out of fermented fish and plant juices and the composting process. They also learned about organic farming technology from horticulturist Mikio Miyazoe, a volunteer of Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), who has been hands on in sharing his expertise to the local farmers of Cebu.
“Nindot jud ang organic farming kay wa siya’y (synthetic) chemicals. Dako kaayo og gika-tabang sa amoa ang training sa Capitol kay gitudlo-an mi nila unsaon pagpatubo pina-agi sa organic,” she said, adding that they have saved up money from buying synthetic fertilizers for their plants and vegetables.
“Primero kay gilaay gyud mi, kay ngano? Manguha mi og mga compost, mga bunot, unya amo pang gisi-gision, gilaay jud mi. Mura mi’g nabag-uhan pero abtan og pila ka buwan nadasig nami ky nindot ra man diay. Nadasig nami, naanad nami. Di nami mo gasto para sa chemical, naka save mi.”
For Cabañog, the satisfaction of being able to sell healthy and organically-grown veggies is more fulfilling over the convenience of using chemicals and synthetic fertilizers for their farm products.
“Ang synthetic dali ra, mas risgo ang sa organic pero naanad nami. Sa una, kong mang spray mi, maka-hanggab gyud mi sa chemicals. Ang health hazard sa nag-gamit og chemicals dako gyud. Basta ang mga tawo kong mahibawo nga organic, mopalit gyud sila,” she said.
According to Cabañog, the group is now diversifying their farm products. From merely planting the classic varieties of tomatoes and eggplant, they are now growing other vegetables like lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, parsley, carrots, cucumber, and recently, strawberries to cater to the demands of clients, especially those from the restaurants.
To augment their income, the local farmers have also been encouraged to grow and develop their own backyard farms while also cultivating organically grown crops and vegetables in the association’s communal garden.
Today, AFA has an accumulated funds of more than P50,000 from their organic products. Individually, Cabañog said each of them could earn as much as P10,000 a month from their backyard farms and from the shares they got from the association.
“Pina-agi sa programa sa Capitol ug LGU, naa nami sigurado nga income kada buwan. Kay labi na among lettuce, dali siya mahalin, maoy pinaka in-demand. Usa ka buwan ikabaligya na siya. Healthy ang gi-kaon, healthy pud ang baligya,” she said.
Farm-to-Table Food System
Adopting the Farm-to-Table concept, AFA, along with another group of farmers in Ginatilan that are also into organic farming–Salamanca Farmers’ Association, and the Can-ukban Skilled Workers and Farmers Association in the town of Oslob, directly sells and delivers their products to restaurants/resorts and in the town’s Farmers’ Market Day every Tuesday in Ginatilan and every Sunday for the Can-ukban farmers in Oslob.
They said that this concept is better since they no longer need a middle man to help them market their farm produce which could also mean more income for them.
One of the regular clients of AFA and Salamanca is the Belgian Bistro (Coffee House and European Restaurant) owned by Koenraad Segers in Barangay Liloan, Santander town.
In an interview, Segers said he is happy to help the farmers and provide them with a ready market. He is also grateful to the farmers for supplying his restaurant with fresh, organic farm produce.
“It is better than going to Cebu City or Dumaguete. You can get fresh, good produce, and you can also help the farmers sell their products directly to the restaurant, resort owners. The taste is also much better, especially the cherry tomatoes,” he said.
Segers’ seven-month-old restaurant has been sourcing vegetable supplies from the farmers’ associations. He was made aware about the organically grown products through Mikio, who frequents the restaurant. From then on, AFA and Salamanca have been delivering vegetables directly from the farm to Segers’ restaurant every Tuesdays and Fridays.
“The clients are satisfied and are coming back,” he said. “With the farmers’ associations (supplying) every week fresh lettuce and vegetables, so I help the farmers, the farmers help me, and if we’re together, it’s better for the families. They have work, they earn money from their produce, and for us, it is also good because the customers are coming. They have very good and fresh produce on the table.”
The Can-ukban farmers’ group, which just started growing organic vegetables in January after undergoing training last December 2017, now supplies organically-grown lettuce to Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort in Oslob town. The association had their first harvest in March this year.
On Sundays, they sell their farm products such as tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber and zucchini at the Oslob Public Market.
With organic farming method gaining ground across the whole province of Cebu and to also ensure the sustainability of the program, the Cebu Provincial Government continuously trains farmers and has equipped them with the much needed farming tools.
All three farmers associations were provided with drip irrigation systems, water pumps and hoses, and rain shelters for their seedlings.
Asked what they still need for their farms, Cabañog said they would like to have a shredder machine for the coconut husk and dried banana leaves, while Reniles Toco, the president of the Can-ukban Skilled Workers and Farmers Association, said they have already requested for a multi-purpose drying pavement.
“Ako silang dasigon nga mag organic na gyud sila kay dili delikado sa ilang pang-lawas, dili pud delikado sa mga konsumidor. Ako karon kay nakasuway naman ko nga mag organic, dasigon sad nako ang uban nga mag organic na pud. Kung mahimo, organic lang gyud ang atong itanum,” said Cabañog.
