AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 11, Johnon Espinola, a Grade 6 student of Morong Elementary School in Rizal province, already has his heart set on becoming an organic farmer like his father, Eduardo, 46.

Last summer, Johnon underwent training at a farm in Baras, one of the province’s municipalities, while helping out at a privately-run orphanage for abandoned children.

The boy was one of 19 children who trained in different organic farms in Baras, a fourth class municipality that the local government declared an organic zone in 2004.

At that time, newly elected Mayor Wilfredo C. Robles and Councilor Ramon A. Matignas Jr. were concerned about the low income of farmers in the town, which was ironic since it was considered an ideal area for farming.

Because of the situation, some farmers had discouraged their children from following their footsteps, which was disheartening to Jaime Javier, vice president of the Federation of Farmers of Rizal province.
Wrong advice
“This was wrong advice from farmers,” he said. “Huwag kaming gayahin at napakahirap (Do not follow our footsteps because it is difficult). What about the next generation? Who will inherit our farmlands? Who will provide our food?”

“I noticed that many of our lands were idle,” Robles said. “As father of the town, I wanted my town mates to have a long and healthy life. I needed a project that would be good for the entire town. In Baras, 45 to 50 percent of our population of 38,000 are farmers. I was once a farmer and a fisherman. We were poor. I learned to till our small land. I could see that my town mates could survive. And we even have a lake nearby. So we passed Resolution No. 138-S-04 making us the first organic town in the Philippines.”

Experts from the College of Agriculture of the University of the Philippines Los Baños were then asked to train Baras farmers.

According to Dr. Blesilda M. Calub of the College of Agriculture, organic farming is ideal for several reasons. One reason is that the demand for organically-grown vegetables is high. “It also requires intensive labor and does not require much capital,” she explained.
Benefits
She added: “The yield in the first year may be low but in the second and third year, it increases. In conventional farming, you kill the organism. It takes time to revive fertility. This is why the organic method is being blamed for initial low yields. But the yield is premium safe produce, without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.”

Another benefit of organic farming is that it grows vegetables that stay fresh longer apart from being tastier and more nutritious.

“Recently, we conducted a training program for elementary agriculture teachers so they could open the minds of their pupils to organic agriculture,” Calub said. “We would like to inspire these children to be next generation farmers knowledgeable about organic farming. Our farmers are getting older while many children do not want to go into farming. Together with the Department of Education’s program on Alternative Learning Systems for the out-of-school youth in Baras, we are drafting a mentoring project where farmers from the Kasamahan sa Kalikasang Pagsasaka Multipurpose Cooperative (Kakasa) will be assigned to guide and mentor two to three OSYs in practical organic vegetable production.”

Dr. Calub further explained that to date, some farmers are convinced about the benefits of organic farming and some are not. “Some take a wait-and-see attitude. What we would like to take care of are those farmers who have started doing organic farming so they don’t revert to conventional ways. That’s why apart from technological know-how, we work closely with the local government and other government agencies. We are also tapping private companies to assist in marketing aspects to make organic vegetable production profitable for small farmers.”

While touring the organic farms for this interview, Rizal’s first lady, Andrea Bautista-Ynares, wife of Gov. Casimiro Ynares III, sampled some of the organic vegetables, like baby okra and cherry tomatoes, grown in some of the farms in Barangays Santiago and San Jose.
Organic food basket
“My husband, a doctor by training, is focused on health issues as a basic requirement for to clean living,” said Andrea. “Rizal, being the backdoor of the huge Metro market, can ideally be an organic food basket.”

The good quality of the organic produce in Baras may be attributed to the type of soil found in the 8,494-ha municipality—
moderately acidic and fertile.

“Baras, in tandem with Masipag, a nongovernment organization, tested 53 varieties of indigenous rice,” said Agerico “Ager” Valdez, Kakasa chair. “Forty-two varieties were found to be suitable for our soil.”

The members of Kakasa, formed in 2004, were trained at the Farmers Field School which is under the supervision of the Municipal Agriculture Office. Kakasa started out with a 2,000-sq m experimental organic vegetable patch. The area has since grown to 100,000-sq m.

“Organic agriculture is a timely answer to the food crisis. Baras teems with a bio-diverse ecosystem that [seems appropriate for organic farming], the only hope for a poor municipality to someday become a global organic food player given the adequate support by the LGU and national government with the participation of residents. Our town also has a source of water nearby -- Laguna de Bay and the forested uplands of Sierra Madre,” Ager said.

“Our town is near Metro Manila, making it ideal for marketing purposes. From Luneta, we are just 51 kilometers away. We want to show that organic food is not only for the elite. We have produced a bestseller, the malarosas or pink colored rice variety that can be bought at the Opta (Organic Producers and Trade Association) coop outlet and other Opta weekend markets,” he added.

According to him, the municipal government, Opta and the University of Rizal System (URS) have agreed to put together their “capabilities, resources and linkages to promote and develop organic agriculture through a tripartite agreement signed in 2004.”

“The Kakasa organic coop, with its veteran organic farmers, are willing to share their organic technology for both urban container gardens and rural backyard home gardens,” he added.

The municipal government also has another project called FAITH (Food Always in the Home) in which families in communities are encouraged to grow organic vegetables, even in containers.

“This project is an ongoing joint venture project between the Baras government and the Nutrition Center of the Philippines to address nutrition and increased food security,” said Association of Barangay Captains chair Wilmer Elago, 43, who is helping out in the project’s implementation.

Governor Ynares, on the other hand, is very supportive of Baras’ efforts to develop organic faming, something which he hopes will soon be a province-wide effort.

“If Baras were able to go organic, I see no reason why the entire province of Rizal should not follow suit. Baras should host the Organic Farming Institute to be administered by the University of Rizal System (URS) for the benefit of our marginal farmers. This will further protect Laguna Lake’s fragile ecosystem from the onslaught of agricultural and industrial chemical leeching of water tributaries finding their way to the lake,” he said.

The entire country, has, however, yet to go organic. In the Philippines, Baras is the first organic town while Valencia City in Bukidnon is the first organic city. Negros Island, on the other hand, is the first organic island in Asia.

If the efforts of the Baras municipal government succeeds, Johnon’s future as an organic farmer will not only provide him with a healthy quality of life, but wealth as well.