Farmed herbs and flowers have uses beyond the culinary and the decorative. Some farmers are slowly learning that they can be turned into essential oils and hydrosols for use in aromatherapy as well. “Aromatherapy basically focuses on the use of essential oils and aromatics in supporting our...
Essential oils are all the rage, with people using them for different things, from making a room smell fresh to mild pain relief. Unfortunately, the world of essential oils also contains a lot of misconceptions that need to be addressed. Jirbie Go and Lourdes Caballero are certified aromatherapists...
On the rooftop of one of the condominiums in Poblacion, Makati is a lush garden that has been a special refuge for the building’s residents especially during the pandemic. Little do they know that their little oasis in the city would not have been possible without the efforts of one of the...
The textile industry can become a key player in the agriculture industry, and the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) is leading the way. The PTRI is a research and development institute, one of seven, under the Department of Science and Technology. “Textiles has a very, very wide...
What are the Department of Agriculture’s plans for coffee cultivation and production in the Philippines in 2022? This was the question answered by Usec Evelyn G. Laviña, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Undersecretary for High Value Crops and Rural Credit in a recent Pan de Sal forum, a...
In December 2020, the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) started planting urban gardens on its premises. Measuring about 15-20 square meters each, the urban gardens have three locations: in front of the hospital kitchen, behind the Psychiatry building, and in front of the TB-DOTS clinic,...
If you live in or have been to Baguio City in Benguet, you’ve probably heard of or visited Narda’s Handwoven Arts and Crafts, a Benguet institution. The company is named after its founder, Leonarda “Narda” Capuyan, an Igorot entrepreneur who helped popularize Cordillera’s woven fabrics...
Jonjon Sarmiento, aka Farmer Jon, is a sustainable agriculture advocate, a community organizer, and a climate crisis activist. He is also the man behind Kuatro MariaS’ Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro. The farm is named after his four daughters and the four elements, with the capital “S”...
Jonjon Sarmiento, more popularly known as Farmer Jon, is a community organizer, volunteer manager of the SALIKA Farmers Cooperative, and sustainable agriculture farmer and advocate. Aside from running Kuatro MariaS Agriecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, he also launched Padyak Touro: Krisis sa Klima...
Last July 8, 2021, the Department of Agriculture declared Lipa City ASF-free. Lipa was one of six Batangas cities considered “recovered from ASF.” The others are San Jose, Malvar, Rosario, Taysan, and Nasugbu. Lipa City Veterinarian Dr. Samuel P. Comia explains how, through concentrated efforts...
Two wildlife biologists found a Pahiopedilum haynaldianum , also known as lady’s slipper orchid, in a “local garden in the village adjacent to the forest somewhere in the Mount Busa Key Biodiversity Area.” Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, resident wildlife biologist of the Protected Area...
There are a lot of misconceptions about agriculture, one of the most prevalent being the time it takes to go from seed to harvest. Many people base their expectations on garden herbs or leafy vegetables, which don’t take long until harvest, sometimes less than or a bit over a month, such as for...
