Over the past years, coffee production in the country has been dwindling despite the growing demand for it. Aging farmers, coffee growers switching to other crops, and conversion of agricultural land to real estate are all contributing factors to this decline. In a bid to address these...
Daryl Balmoria-Garcia, an architect and registered environmental planner, and her husband, Jose D. Garcia Jr., a policeman in the Mandaue City Police Office, have been growing plants ever since they got married. In their residence’s limited space, they practice vertical gardening to cultivate...
What are the Department of Agriculture’s plans for coffee cultivation and production in the Philippines in 2022? This was the question answered by Usec Evelyn G. Laviña, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Undersecretary for High Value Crops and Rural Credit in a recent Pan de Sal forum, a...
In December 2020, the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) started planting urban gardens on its premises. Measuring about 15-20 square meters each, the urban gardens have three locations: in front of the hospital kitchen, behind the Psychiatry building, and in front of the TB-DOTS clinic,...
If you live in or have been to Baguio City in Benguet, you’ve probably heard of or visited Narda’s Handwoven Arts and Crafts, a Benguet institution. The company is named after its founder, Leonarda “Narda” Capuyan, an Igorot entrepreneur who helped popularize Cordillera’s woven fabrics...
Jonjon Sarmiento, aka Farmer Jon, is a sustainable agriculture advocate, a community organizer, and a climate crisis activist. He is also the man behind Kuatro MariaS’ Agroecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro. The farm is named after his four daughters and the four elements, with the capital “S”...
Jonjon Sarmiento, more popularly known as Farmer Jon, is a community organizer, volunteer manager of the SALIKA Farmers Cooperative, and sustainable agriculture farmer and advocate. Aside from running Kuatro MariaS Agriecology Farm in Oriental Mindoro, he also launched Padyak Touro: Krisis sa Klima...
Last July 8, 2021, the Department of Agriculture declared Lipa City ASF-free. Lipa was one of six Batangas cities considered “recovered from ASF.” The others are San Jose, Malvar, Rosario, Taysan, and Nasugbu. Lipa City Veterinarian Dr. Samuel P. Comia explains how, through concentrated efforts...
Bryan John Dizon, 38, worked for various companies in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and banking industries prior to his involvement in poultry farming. Dizon was first exposed to chickens when his family members used to raise them for cockfighting. As a result of this exposure, he...
Noise pollution has long been found to have an impact on animals. They say that birds sing at higher frequencies, bats have difficulty finding prey, frogs have trouble finding partners, and whales speak louder to communicate with one another. The world is getting even noisier due to human activity...
Plants, however big or small, provide growers with food, clean air, and a better state of mind. Amid these trying times, more folks have started to view gardening as a hobby that’s good for the soul. Joanne G. Blanco, 29, a primary care physician, started growing plants in 2014 when she was still...
Trees are essential. We rely on them for food, fuel, medicine, raw materials, oxygen, as well as for their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Trees protect us from storms and help prevent soil erosion. Trees also help humans find peace and inspiration in the beauty of nature. Most importantly,...
