Part of the Goducate Training Center (GTC), Iloilo, is a small farm that provides food for the staff and for the restaurant and snack bar that cater for visitors to the center. The farm has been there for the past 10 years, ever since GTC was set up.
As 2021 kicks off, we ought to remember that, though we need to care for our physical health and the environment, relationship with people is important as well. Thus the farm also provides space for bonding with friends and family. It is used for educational tours, and a newly introduced program is the “Family Fun Learning” program, a way of building relationships through vegetable picking (see blog Dec 4, 2020).
The farm now grows crops such as squash, luffa, eggplant, Chinese cabbage, moringa, okra, and bitter gourd. The moringa is made into Moringa powder, which can be mixed into food and drinks that are served at the Center. A moringa plant consists of 92 nutrients and 26 antioxidants, which are helpful for boosting the body’s immune system.
The farm already existed when the land was bought in 2010. In the first two years, it was developed with the help of the agriculture expert, Prof Ricardo Patricio. The rice-fish model was introduced in 2012 to show farmers that St Peter’s fish (known also as Tilapia) grown in the rice field could maximize the potential of the water, in that the water from the rice field provides fertilizer for the rice. Later on, Joel Dagon, one of the staff, started planting vegetables beside the rice field with the purpose of making Goducate sustainable.
The fish is used for food for staff and guests. In addition, 80% of the vegetables farm produce are used for consumption on site while the 20% are for sale. Guests are also allowed to fish in the small drains at the side of the rice fields and pay for the fish caught. They can also ask the restaurant staff to cook the fish for them.
For the future, consideration is being given to a plan to expand its usage by improving agriculture through applying permaculture. Permaculture comes from the words “permanent” and “agriculture”. It is a system of making the land self-sufficient and sustainable by applying scientific methods in crop production which will be very helpful not only to people but also for the environment.
*Our Guest writer is Rebecca Depalubos, a member of Goducate staff.