AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan As the number of farmers in the country continues to decrease even as their median age increases, there has been a push to encourage people, especially young ones, to consider agriculture as a source of income. While there are many success stories of people who have made a...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan Food has become such a big part of pop culture that there are people who base their personalities on what they’ve eaten and where they’ve eaten it. There is nothing bad about this. Eating is an easy way to get to know a culture, and experiencing different flavors can...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan There’s a story about Nick Joaquin that’s been going around the creative writing circle for as long as I can remember. It’s said that during a writer’s workshop, the National Artist got so annoyed at a participant's work that he allegedly told the poor workshop...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan In history class, we learn that the Philippines has had a robust trade with China for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. Before the ethnic Chinese who had settled in the Philippines were rounded up by the Spanish and forced to live in enclaves (among other...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Tan A farmer friend posted a meme of a sign on a farm that said in Tagalog: “Visitors are coming! Lock up your plants!” Something a lot of farmers deal with that isn’t talked about a lot is petty theft. We’re not talking about sacks of produce or fertilizer or a bunch...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Natalie Tan Just what exactly is needed to produce a grain of rice? Quite a lot of labor and capital. Despite rice being a staple of the Pinoy dining table, not many Filipinos understand how the country’s favorite grain goes from binhi (seed) to bigas (milled rice). When...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Natalie Tan I was recently asked to give a lay person's overview on the country’s food security situation for Bahay Kubo Kitchens organized by Mesa ni Misis and FEED (Farmer Enterprise & Economic Development) as part of the United Nations’ Food Systems Summit. Here’s...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Natalie Tan Food security has always been a serious issue for the Philippines, particularly because a nation that calls itself an agricultural country shouldn’t have citizens who go hungry. This was the case before the pandemic, and now it’s only gotten worse. The week has...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Natalie Tan The Busa Mountain Range (BMR) straddles the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato in southern Mindanao. According to Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, resident wildlife biologist and project development officer of the PASu AVPL, “it is one of the last remaining primary...
AVANT GARDENER Yvette Natalie Tan Not all honey available in the market is pure. According to Wilfrido “Jonji” S. de Jesus Jr. of Two Bees Apiary in Iloilo City, so-called “fake” honey isn’t actually fake, but most probably either honey made by bees who have been fed sugar water...
FOOD SECURE HOUSEHOLD Growing one’s own food is one way to ensure food security, particularly during these challenging times 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...
