Zacarias “Zac” Bolong Sarian, prolific farmer and former Agriculture section editor of the Manila Bulletin and former editor-in-chief of Agriculture Monthly magazine, passed away this morning at the age of 83.

The veteran journalist was a driving force not just in Philippine agriculture journalism, but in the agriculture industry as a whole.

Sarian hailed from Batac, Ilocos Norte. He studied in an agricultural high school while working in his veterinarian cousin’s farm where they raised hogs, poultry, and dairy animals.

Sarian’s passion for farming spilled from the field and onto the printed page where he inspired many Filipinos to try their hand in agriculture.

Even before he earned his foreign service degree from UP, he was already an agriculture columnist for the Manila Chronicle, which also published Philippine Farms and Gardens, of which he was editor-in-chief from when it started in 1964 until its last issue in 1972. He worked as the agriculture editor of Business Day, Manila Times, and Agribusiness Weekly before joining Manila Bulletin in 1991, where he stayed until his retirement in March this year.

As the Agriculture editor of the Manila Bulletin, he continuously shed light and brought recognition to an industry that was slowly losing its luster. Sarian was always on the lookout for promising crops and farms; coverage by Mang Zac often meant a boost in the farm’s clientele.

His influence was even more felt when he began to helm Agriculture Monthly magazine, which to date remains the longest running and most bought magazine of its kind. The issues have become collectors’ items, passed down from parent to child. Now, a new generation of farmers have cropped up their love for agriculture having started from reading their parents’ treasured copies. 

He has received numerous recognitions for his work. He received a Jefferson Fellowship in Developmental Journalism in 1971 and the Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1974. Other accolades include the Most Outstanding Science Communicator Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology and J. Burgos Biotechnology Award for Best Feature Story in 2011.

Sarian’s relentless pursuit of stories that mattered was matched by his quest to produce the ornamental plants and best exotic fruit trees. Established in 1985, Sarian Exotic Fruit Trees, more commonly known as Sarian Farm, was his way of proving what he wrote about: that a small piece of land could yield enormous profit if managed correctly. The farm is known for collecting outstanding specimens of fruit trees from overseas and propagating them so that they would be available to the Filipino farmer.

His love for agriculture included ornamental plants. He was an avid collector and had a keen interest in orchids and aroids. There is even an Aroid named after him: the Alocasia Sarian.

A year after he established his farm, he founded Agri-Kapihan, a weekly forum where agricultural enthusiasts, from hobbyists to experts, could mingle and learn from each other. He was also a radio host, co-anchoring “Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura” on DWWW; an author, having written eight books on agriculture; and blogger.

Zac Sarian lived a full life dedicated to agriculture, and because of his efforts, the industry is all the better for it.

READ MORE: Secretary Dar pays tribute to Zac Sarian, agriculture journalist