AVANT GARDENER I just returned from a trip to Taiwan. This was supposed to be a vacation, so I vowed not to think of work during my stay. Of course, this was impossible as I, as a human being, needed to eat, and of course, what we eat is grown, caught, or foraged by farmers and fishers. ...
AVANT GARDENER I visited Bukid Amara in Lucban, Quezon, a popular vegetable and flower farm among tourists and farmers. The 2.5-hectare farm is a sight to behold. The first thing that catches the eye is a field of different types of flowers that stretch out from the farm entrance toward a...
AVANT GARDENER Grace Pascual-Holganza, a corporate accountant by trade, is the owner of Mumshroom, a company that sells products such as chips, patties, and sisig made from white oyster mushrooms cultivated on her family farm in Nueva Ecija. Though she technically started Mumshroom in 2018, just...
AVANT GARDENER Looks like we may or may not have a rice shortage, depending on who you talk to. The Manila Bulletin reported in the beginning of the month (Aug. 1, 2023) that the country has “enough supply of rice that would last for a little more than one month,” specifically 39 days’ worth...
AVANT GARDENER What does it mean to work in agriculture? To most people, working in agriculture means farming or fishing, and then only specifically just the planting and harvesting part or just the fishing part. Folks who actually work in the agriculture industry know that this is not the case....
AVANT GARDENER I’m in the middle of writing a story about a young man who, for no reason other than he saw a need and found a possible solution, raised funds to build a flatbed dryer to service rice farmers in his girlfriend’s hometown of Lopez, Quezon. Jose Diego Roxas, 26, is the spokesperson...
AVANT GARDENER Happy July! It’s the middle of the year already, even though it feels like 2023 has just begun. I hope you’ll take this opportunity to pick up a copy of the July issue of Agriculture magazine. We’ve got an exciting lineup, not to mention several tweaks in the cover and layout....
AVANT GARDENER I was invited to a roundtable with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga to discuss the Department’s thrust regarding its policies and activities. A number of topics were brought up, including the issue of the effects...
AVANT GARDENER Last week, I wrote about the Ortigas Market and its endeavor to create a community while supporting small and local businesses, including farms and farmers. I asked Marisa Dames, organizer of the Ortigas Market who also happens to be president of DTC Promos, Inc., a marketing...
AVANT GARDENER Have you checked out the Ortigas Market? Folks who live in the Ortigas area searching for a place where they can buy delicious food, shop for snacks and groceries, and engage in community activities can head to Emerald Avenue, which is a carless street on weekends, but is also home...
AVANT GARDENER Food security, food self-sufficiency, food sovereignty, food justice. So many terms, aren’t they all the same thing? Not really. Food security is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as “the access for all people at all times to enough food...
AVANT GARDENER The agriculture industry is getting desperate, and rightly so. It’s been suffering for decades, with more people giving up, less people entering the industry, and only the very successful, optimistic, or desperate staying behind. This desperation, particularly in attracting young...
