Its mural inspired renowned author and MB’s Yvette Tan to write an NFT story With over 1, 700 islands, the Philippines is home to various ethnic groups that give it a uniquely rich and diverse culture. This identity was the inspiration for TeamManila to design the National Book Development Board...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I wrote about this in Agriculture.com.ph early last year, and I think it’s worth revisiting, because in a market flooded with adulterated honey, or “fakes,” we can always get a refresher on how to choose unadulterated, or “pure” honey. Not all honey available...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan In early 2020, I interviewed Raymund Aaron of Villa Socorro Agri Eco-Village in Pagsanjan, Laguna. Aaron, whose business card says he is the resort’s Banana Chief, doesn’t just manage his family’s farm and resort. He also developed the resort’s most famous product,...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I got to listen to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Undersecretary for High Value Crops and Rural Credit Evelyn G. Laviña discussed the revised Philippine Coffee Roadmap, which is due to be released late this year. The Roadmap is a collaboration between the...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan There’s a school of thought that’s been going around agriculture circles for some time, and that the industry needs to be repackaged as “sexy” in order to attract practitioners and investors. The most common way I’ve observed this being done is through marketing...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Five agriculture myths that need to die Farming, like politics, is a contentious topic in the Philippines, especially for folks who aren’t exposed to the agriculture industry. It’s very easy to come up with an opinion on a subject when one has no real exposure to it...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I fell in love with agriculture because I like to eat The second most common question I get asked is, “How did you fall in love with agriculture?” My answer is always, “food.” More often than not, this answer shocks people, or at the very least, makes them laugh. I...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan I’ve always maintained that owning a farm is the original Filipino dream. Unfortunately, like many dreams, owning a successful farm can be challenging. Aside from the difficulty in acquiring adequate farmland suitable for the crops or livestock one wants to cultivate or...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Agriculture industry. This is the name we call everything that falls under the terms “agriculture,” which, contrary to popular misconception, isn’t just about planting and harvesting. Agriculture work isn’t limited to farming, but that’s for another column....
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan What do avocados, bananas, oranges, and kale have in common? The answer is that their popularity in the Western — and by extension, global — market are the results of heavy marketing campaigns. Contrary to popular belief, these beloved crops didn’t achieve prominence...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Chocolate and bananas are a delicious combination, but did you know that these two crops also pair well together in the field? Cacao has been on the news lately. What isn’t talked about is how many cacao farmers have been commenting that it takes a long time - about four...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan As we enter another two weeks of lockdown, the two biggest concerns people have are making money and food. Actually, even the “making money” part is ultimately so they can buy food. If this pandemic has highlighted anything, it is that food is important, and that...
