Earlier this year, Dr. Julian Gonsalves, Senior Asia Program Advisor at the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), invited me to visit Guinayangan, Quezon, one of their partner municipalities. I was given a tour of the different programs IIRR conducts in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the local government (LGU).

One of these is the Agroecology-based Rice Farming Project (ABRF), which began in November 2025. It is a DA national scaling program that, in this case, is funded by the DA Region IV-A, and IIRR is co-implementing. It encourages farmers to plant heirloom rice.

In Brgy. Capuluan Central, I interviewed Loreto Palomado, a farmer technician and vice president of the local organic farmers’ association, and Richard Dionisio, who runs the barangay’s Mother Trial Site. The project started late 2025 and the farmers are in the middle of their first harvests.

Palomado, 55, has been farming since he was six years old. He plants organic vegetables and is in the process of converting his rice field to fully organic. “I have certified and heirloom varieties," he said in Tagalog.

9,565 sqm is planted to Parurutong and 500 sqm to Milagrosa. He plans to devote 4,000 sqm to Milagrosa, Dinorado, Jasmine, and black rice. “There’s a big demand,” he said. “People like the way it tastes.”

Heirloom rice sells for ₱80-100 a kilo versus ₱45-50 for white rice. “Guinayangan has a lot of seniors; they’re our customers,” Dionisio said in Tagalog. “Even the middle aged are already health-conscious.”

Dionisio has been farming for five years, taking over the family farm after his father passed away. “My wife and I [returned from Dubai and] put up a small house and we’re going to continue what we already have here.”

He started with 7,416 sqm planted to Parururutong, Milagrosa, Jasmine, black, and red rice. “My first harvest since my father’s death.”

It wasn’t a difficult decision to cultivate heirloom varieties because its what his family eats. “Why buy when we can grow it ourselves?” he said. “I have a farmhand and we sometimes grow vegetables as practice. I’m still getting used to this kind of life.”

Dionisio was able to harvest 11 balde (around 13 kg) of Parurutong from one kilo of seeds, a small amount. The white Dinorado fared better at 26 balde.

Palomado fared better, harvesting 17 balde of Paruruting and 27 balde of Milagrosa. He noted that while heirloom rice doesn’t need as much seeds and water as regular varieties, they do need more space in between in order to thrive.

Land rest and preparation are also so important. Dionisio’s father sowed monggo in between planting seasons to replenish nitrogen in the soil. Palomado regularly plows his field after harvest to inhibit bacteria growth. The field should be dry before plowing, and should be left to dry again after.

Access to machinery remains a challenge. It’s a race of who can rent the tractor first, which means the last person to rent it is also the last person to plant. Farming can also be capital-intensive for a new farmer like Dionisio who’s learning the ropes and still has to rely on paying for services other farmers can do by themselves. And since they don’t have access to irrigation, water can be an issue. “You pray for rain… but when there’s a typhoon, you’re worried about your crops being destroyed,” he said. “We’re thankful that we were still able to harvest. We’ll be ready next time.”

Palomado’s answer to this is to rely on the old ways. “It’s important to know how to read the weather,” he said. “I also use a plow and carabao when needed.” Canals are important in rice fields to collect excess water. These should be kept clean to avoid becoming breeding grounds for snails and insect larvae.

Pest control should be taken seriously. “We leave spiderwebs alone because spiders eat pests… I bought pesticide but never used it because the pests are controlled by good insects. I might use it in the future, but for now, my fields are purely organic,” Dionisio said.

“Many farmers don’t believe in organic farming. I tell them to look at my harvests as proof,” Palomado said. “Our fertilizer is around us. Don’t burn dayami (rice straw); spread it around the farm with madre de cacao to encourage good bacteria and promote healthy rice growth.”

Farming may be challenging, but it remains a viable choice for the two men. “I can continue my father’s legacy,” Dionisio said. “I watched him sow these fields. What he fought for, I will fight for as well.”

“My father raised nine children by farming,” Palomado said. “I want to encourage others to farm because if we don’t have farmers, we won’t have food.”