It started with a tweet. A screencap of Sorgon's status that accompanied his retweet of Fortaleza's post. Maybelle Fortaleza, a University Research Associate for Coral Reef Resiliency and Ecology Studies Laboratory in UP Mindanao, tweeted a screenshot of a message she got from a fisher which,...
Organically grown vegetables mean many things: naturally grown, synthetic chemical-free, safe, sustainable. Unfortunately, it can also mean other things: expensive, inaccessible to small farmers and consumers on a tight budget. The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) is hoping to change...
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...
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...
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...
As told to Yvette Tan Manay’s Farm is an integrated farm in San Miguel, Bohol that grows assorted crops and livestock and before the pandemic, also opened their farm to tourists. Read: Farming family turns Bohol coconut plantation into thriving integrated farm Jeanette Pinat, who runs the...
There’s a saying that goes, “the family that prays together stays together.” This can also be the same for the family who farms. Manay’s Farm is an integrated, diversified family farm located in Purok 7, Bayongan, San Miguel, Bohol. The property spans nine hectares, with about 75% given to...
This is part of a series of profiles on a new generation of leaders, thinkers, creators, innovators, and trailblazers across many fields in the country. The list is drawn under the theme “What’s Now, What’s New, What’s Next” in celebration of Manila Bulletin’s 121st anniversary as an...
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. Radel Matibag, 25, from Brgy. San Isidro in Candelaria, Quezon is...
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. That year, Inhandig Tribal Multipurpose Cooperative (ITMPC) from Malaybalay took home the prize for the Arabica category in the Kape...
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. The plants were discovered and/or published by members of the Philippine...
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. A prematurely ripened ampalaya with a hole that signifies fruit fly infestation....
