Why I Have Ventured Into Organic Farming - Part 1 of 3

I have very good reasons why I am into organic farming.

I have this passion for planting and taking care of animals, I want to do my share in taking care of the environment, and I want to eat naturally healthy food.

PHIL. CARABAO MANGO

Since I was a kid, I have that enthusiasm to plant seeds of any fruit and vegetables that I like.

I could not remember using any chemical substances to make my plants grow. I used to fertilize plants with compost I had learned to make when I was in Grade V using chicken manure and dried leaves, mixing these together, and putting these in a covered pit I dug in our yard until it would decompose enough to be used as fertilizer.  I was not aware then of vermicomposting and effective microorganisms.  That was my early initiation into organic farming.

Years in college, working for a living, and then raising a family in the city (in a condominium at that) took me away from planting.  

We eventually transfered residence to Rizal because I love the mountains. 

This rekindled my love for planting.  

I immediately enriched the soil around our newly built house with pelletized residue I bought from a biogas digester facility in a nearby town.

I planted seeds of whatever fruits we had then like atis, guyabano, guava, duhat, mango, chesa, langka, and papaya. 

When these started growing tall and bearing fruits, our house surroundings became like a mini forest and people started noticing the trees and its fruits.

Even before we transfered to Rizal, my late father was already tending a small uphill farm in a nearby town. 

There were mostly giant ipil-ipil trees in the farm plus some mango, banana, santol, coconut, duhat, sampaloc, chico, and guava trees.

AN ORGANIC FARM

I would frequent the farm often not minding driving my car through rough roads.  I loved being there on weekends.  I was not planting anything. I simply enjoyed savoring the clean mountain air and viewing the scenery around.

Before my father joined his Creator, he requested me to take care of the farm. I said yes.  

When I was already taking care of the farm, the first thing I did was to plan and get organized.  My objective was to make it a very productive farm following the natural ways of farming.  It would be a farm my late father could be proud of and enjoy visiting even in the after-life.