Yvette Tan

Yvette Tan is Manila Bulletin’s Agriculture section editor and also the Editor in Chief of Agriculture magazine. A Palanca-award winning writer, her perspective on agriculture is unique. Originally coming from lifestyle and food journalism, she has seen firsthand the deep divide between the realities of food production and the trendiness of foodie culture. She is dedicated to encouraging people to push for sustainable food sources and is an advocate of food security, food sovereignty, and the preservation of community foodways.

Contact her at agriculture@mbulletin.com.ph

What is syntropic farming?

A few columns ago, I wrote about Anitu Forest Food Processing, a small batch chocolatier from Bukidnon and Anitu Food Forest, the syntropic farm that supplies the cacao for the artisanal chocolates. 

My favorite herbal salve is from Laguna

I began suffering what I now realize were stress headaches in grade one. Not wanting me to rely too much on paracetamol, my mother, a migraine sufferer, introduced me to the wonderful world of salves and liniments, and I’ve been quite exacting about it ever since. 

A forgotten part of Filipino culture

Last week, I wrote about Raffy Tesoro of  Bio-Genetics Agriventures, Inc. and Jason Drilon’s popup at James & Daughters in Pasig which featured traditional Tagalog food that Tesoro grew up with, most, if not all of it sourced locally. The popup was a hit, with both days selling out. This week, we continue our conversation with Tesoro, focusing on the importance of keeping traditional ingredients and cooking methods alive and the possible future of Philippine agriculture.

A very Tagalog pop-up

What does a traditional Tagalog dinner taste like? I don’t mean the lutong bahay of today; I mean what did it taste like decades before? 

Tigkiliwi shows that one can thrive, even during dead season

“If you plant, you can eat.” So goes the often repeated line from the multi-award-winning Tigkiwili, one of the eight full-length films in the Puregold CinePanalo Festival, which runs until March 25 at Gateway Cineplex 18. The film garnered seven awards, including Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Ensemble.