Specials NEWS

About 10 million hectares of forest are lost every year. Many reforestation efforts can go to waste if diversity is not involved in the process.

Despite all the hardships brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos do not forget to spread acts of kindness. The latest example of this are the community pantries that have popped up all over the country on the weekend of April 17-18.

As told to Ellaine Kryss Hubilla

Farming is a precarious venture, as it is (mostly) subject to the elements, not to mention market forces.

From shoe soles, refrigerators, to clothes, car tires, and medical supplies, natural rubber is a common denominator that keeps the quality of these products at their best.

“If you want to be happy for a lifetime, be a gardener,” says Kenneth Joy Fuentes Gonzales, 43, an employee at the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) of Norala, South Cotabato.

While deemed as one of the Philippines’ economic drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the agriculture sector is also at risk of having its national budget allocation reduced due to fiscal adjustments post COVID.

The web serves as an open area that many enterprises can use and benefit from. Online freedom also allows the public to easily express their opinions, reviews, and support in terms of the businesses’ products and prices.

Constancio E. Estuye Jr., 60, a chief marine engineer in a foreign vessel, also grows grapes and strawberries in the city.

As told to Yvette Tan

Two Bees Apiary in Iloilo City is a small urban apiary with aout 16 hives. Aside from being a beekeeper, its owner, Wilfrido “Jonji”  S. de Jesus Jr., runs an artificial insemination (AI) lab for European honeybees (Apis mellifera), one of the handful in the country. He ventured into AI around 2018 after encountering difficulty acquiring queen bees for his colonies after the importation of Apis mellifera was temporarily halted a few years ago.

Avocados, or alligator pears, used to be called as such due to its skin’s resemblance to an alligator and its shape that is similar to that of a pear. And it wasn't bought very much. The root cause? A marketing problem.

To live on a farm away from the hustle and bustle of the city is a dream for many Filipinos. One can choose to relax, and at the same time, stay productive for a steady income and growth even after retirement.

The several months of isolation due to the health crisis has resulted in an increasing number of budding home gardeners. Gardening, for some, serves as a coping mechanism and stress reliever, while for others, it is a source of income that tides them over amid the difficulties that the pandemic has brought.

In Bauang, La Union, you’ll find Climasenrose Grape Farm, a 3000sqm grapes farm owned by Rosendo Calica, 73, who has been into grape farming since the ‘80s.

It is the most difficult times that make us fall hard and rise stronger. Climasenrose Farm in Bauang, La Union is a thriving grapes farm that has experienced hitting the bottom before reaping the rewards of its success today.

Livestock constitutes about 15 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions. A single cow can produce an equal amount of a car’s gas emission through the methane they release through passing gas.

La Union is one of the most popular surfing destinations in the Philippines to date. One farm that has been embracing this edge and promoting agri-tourism in the same province is Ibit’s Integrated Farm.