Specials NEWS

Not everyone can afford to grow their own food. But for those who have the space, time, physical ability, and mindset to do so, it can be a fulfilling experience for the mind and body, not to mention a filling experience for the stomach, especially during the current challenging times.

Vinegar is an important part of Philippine cuisine. It is used as both an ingredient and a condiment. In her book “Tikim,” culinary historian Doreen Fernandez writes about the main flavors of Philippine cuisine, which are salty, sweet, bitter, and sour. A Filipino kitchen seems incomplete without a bottle of suka on the shelf. And yet few people stop to think where this pantry essential comes from. 

Displacement is an unfortunate reality for many Filipinos, who are forced to temporarily or permanently leave their homes due to conflict or natural disaster. Aside from the trauma of unwillingly having to leave one’s place of residence due to circumstance, one of the biggest immediate concerns is food security. 

The global pandemic has forced life to a near standstill. Many businesses have been forced to close or switch to a more viable source of income. For Wilma T. Gaspili, affectionately known as  “Ate Wammie” to friends, the temporary closure of her coffee shop Igorot’s Charm Cafe in Baguio City led to a business that helps local farmers as well.

As told to Yvette Tan

There’s a saying that goes, “the family that prays together stays together.” This can also be the same for the family who farms.

An expo showcasing various products made of bamboo will be staged in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon province this year.

Many are quick to dismiss young people as having no interest in agriculture. However, the growing number of young farmers show that this need not be the case, especially if they know that they can make good money tilling the land.

Pre-pandemic, there was already a slowly growing interest in farming, a movement which has partly been driven by the restaurant industry. The rise of food as a status symbol and chefs as modern rock stars helped put the spotlight on crops-of-the-moment, as well as ingredient provenance. 

The Indigenous people of Bukidnon have been growing coffee for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2017 that their efforts were recognized on a national scale. 

The Philippines has long been known as a center of biodiversity. 11 new plant discoveries in the country were published in international scientific journals in 2020, adding to the extensive list of flora endemic to its shores.

A farmer friend complained about his ampalaya prematurely ripening on the vine and of small holes appearing on the fruit. Other farmers were quick to point out that these were indications of a fruit fly infestation.

Plantitos and plantitas rejoice! Another exhibit and expo has arrived to whet the appetites of new and experienced ornamental plant collectors.

Atbang Farm inCabayugan, Calape, Bohol a permaculture farm and wildlife preserve that also calls itself a food forest.

Not everyone gets into farming voluntarily at first but there are many who come to realize that it is actually their calling.

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.

Bleeding Heart Rum Co., the maker of the award-winning Don Papa Rum, recently unveiled its latest expression, Don Papa Rye Aged Rum.

One of the many fads that have popped up during the pandemic is the resurging interest in ornamental plants.