With the allure of lesser cost but with higher gains, many farmers today still opt for conventional farming where the use of pesticides and other chemicals are being practiced to get the highest possible yield of crops.
Contrary to this, a farm situated south of Bauko, Mtn. Province, away from the noise and buzz of the city traffic and streets, you’ll find the quiet and peaceful Palayen Farm. A farm that prides itself on producing fresh quality vegetables by adhering to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
Palayen Farm is the home of husband-and-wife Jovito and Beverly Palayen. A land where their family started and grew into a family of seven. Working together as a family, they have experienced the ups and downs of farming but they’re still holding up and making sure that their farming business is prospering.
“Even as children, they were already helping in the farm. That’s why now that they’re older, they know the pains and struggles of farming,” expressed Jovito.
He continued that whatever the future holds for him and his wife, this farm will be a legacy to their children. Coincidentally, their first child is also into agriculture and now manages his own farm business, JM Palayen Fruits and Vegetable Trading, at BAPTC.
Their third child, Jera, although young in age, is already dipping her hand into agriculture. In fact, she is one of the Regional Kabataang Agribiz grantees for her Business Model Canvas (BMCs) “Sustainable Production and Processing of Cherry Tomato”. On October 2021, she along with the other Kabataang Agribiz grantees were awarded PHP 50,000.00 to start up their businesses.
How it all started
Admittedly, Jovito and Beverly both started in conventional farming until 2010 when they started using greenhouses and less pesticides. Through various trainings and seminars provided by the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera, the couple was equipped with the knowledge of agricultural innovations as well as the immeasurable on-hand experiences on GAP.
“Agriculture is a wide avenue for learning and development. Through these seminars and trainings, we learn things that can help us increase productivity,” said Beverly.
Beverly was one of the trainees on Enhancing Productivity and Producing High Quality Tomato through Smart Greenhouse by Korean partners, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in 2019. Aside from the training at the BPI, they were also given the opportunity to travel to Korea to further their experience on how smart greenhouses work and learn other agricultural practices.
Through the sponsorship of DA-CAR, Jovito was able to travel to Japan to learn their good agricultural practices particularly on food safety. This experience had opened his eyes that as farmers, they should be able to confidently eat their own produce and not worry about any health-related repercussions.
“Learning and applying GAP in our farm is an eye-opener. If you have this commitment as a farmer, it’s much more enjoyable planting the produce that are safe and healthy to consume,” he further explained.
Small steps forward
In 2014, Jovito had established the Tiking Manyedyed Farmers’ Association Inc. It has more than 40 members to date. Just last year, the association was awarded Php 1 million for the construction of a storage shed to support the vegetable trading business of the association. Aside from being a storage shed, the facility also serves as a packaging house for their produce before delivery to consumers.
Moreover, the association also received a twin tunnel greenhouse from DA-CAR’s High-Value Crop Development Program (HVCDP). This was installed in Cada, Sinto, Bauko, Mtn. Province and now contains the 500 strawberry runners that they have received along with the greenhouse.
As for the Palayen Farms itself, they have received 3 tractors and highland vegetable seeds over the years from the department. They’ve also been beneficiaries of the Kadiwa Ni Ani at Kita Program.
All these interventions and assistance contributed to where Palayen Farm is now. Some of their produce are capsicums, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce. These are being distributed through the Kadiwa Program and to their direct market, Dizon Farms and Global Fresh. They also have marketing contacts in Cavite and Laguna.
Through thick and thin
Through farming, Beverly and Jovito are able to send their children to school. It’s their source of livelihood. Likewise, Beverly describes farming as her ministry that God gave to them.
“Being a farmer is a blessing. We are still inspired and excited to continue farming. As long as there are people, agriculture will strive. At the same time, we need to continue to be updated on agricultural innovations,” she said.
Jovito, on the other hand, challenged fellow farmers to consider attending seminars on GAP and embrace the changes in agriculture through time. Conventional farming may have worked before but there are new and updated practices that will increase crop production and at the same time address food safety concerns.
During her training in Korea, Beverly learned that farming is not work, its science.
And since science is ever-evolving, so is agriculture. **DA-CAR
