Bebeng, Jimmy and Rey: enjoying and earning through biofarming

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) on the Philippines facilitates and stimulates the production of organic crops and compost among her members. Bebeng, Jimmy and Rey are the lead farmer-technicians in the formation of a biofarming cluster. They are producing FreeFarm Organic Fertilizer (FFOF) for sale. Others have joined them and members of the San Agustin Biofarming Cluster are optimistic about the future of FFOF.

Bebeng and Jimmy are comparing notes about their sales of compost material this cropping season.  Bebeng made P20,000 (about 316 euro) by selling 100  50-kilogram bags of compost at P200 per bag.  Rey confirms the sale informing that he acted as the “canvasser” and he received the check from one buyer on behalf of Bebeng.  Jimmy sold  235 sacks of compost this season, 185 sacks in cash and 50 sacks payable in various modes such as in the form of rice after the harvest at  two sacks of rice for  5 sacks of compost or in the form of withdrawals of grocery supplies from a sari-sari store owner in exchange for compost. Bebeng is pleased to inform that she just bought a box of laundry soap to last  until the next season out of the proceeds from the sale of compost.

Listening to their account of their sales, it was clear that the trio is having fun!  And they are making money too.

The San Agustin Biofarming Cluster in Barangay San Agustin, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro held its cluster formation and planning meeting last 23 and 24 November 2009. At that meeting they discussed the project features of the Biofarming Network, determined who are qualified to be cluster members and planned on their initial cluster activities. Mr. Gil Carandang (FFF’s main organic farming consultant) conducted on-farm training on farmscaping and organic preparations and Project Coordinator Jennielyn Zabala facilitated the planning sessions. Jimmy and Rey,  FFF Biofarming technicians of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, prepared the participants at this training through meetings introducing the biofarming cluster concept.  The group invited to join the meeting consisted of farmers who were active in the previous FFF organic rice production project and some newcomers who were interested to learn organic farming.
On the first day of the training, the group decided to locate the biofarming cluster in four contiguous sites of Barangay San Agustin:  Curanta, Sta. Fe, Barrio Site and Main Barrio.  Some 33 participants signed up. On the second day of the training, only 22 returned.  A cluster map was prepared indicating the accessibility of the participating sites to one another.  It turned out that those who did not come back for the second day lived outside the desired area for the cluster. These are participants who were happy to learn how to make organic preparations and who look forward to forming their own cluster in the future.  Among those were participants from sites Danupa, Murta and Pitogo.
On 8 and 9 February 2010, a cluster visit was done by the FFF Project Team composed of Jena Zabala and Sally Bulatao.  The visit consisted of farm visits together with cluster members and a meeting with cluster members at the prospective cluster center. The cluster center will be the building owned by the FFCI-affiliated cooperative, Tagumpay ng Curanta Free Farmers Cooperative, Inc. (TACUFFCI). It will need some minor repairs that will be covered by the budget for the cluster center.

The demo farm is a 0.8 hectare  (8,000 square meters) lot located beside a river.  It is owned by Rey but the cluster agreed to use it as the cluster demo farm following terms that they all discussed and agreed upon. Tessie, an expert in vegetable growing, having learned from her parents who grew vegetables for their livelihood, was designated as the farm caretaker. She is known to be particularly good in selecting seeds and preparing the vegetable seedlings.
As discussed by the group, the farm costs were to be covered by revenues generated from sales of farm produce.  Expenses include land preparation (use of tractor, fuel), seeds, farm labor. After deducting all farms expenses, the net income is to be divided as follows:  1/3 to the owner of the land, 1/3 to the caretaker and 1/3 to the cluster.  Initially, costs were advanced by the owner of the land.  Subsequently, however, the cluster share will be used to cover farm expenses.

Within a span of just over two months that included the Christmas holidays, the  San Agustin Biofarming Cluster has made remarkable progress.  The demo farm is now productive with produce of pechay (common Philippine vegetable), ampalaya (bitter melon), eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, beans, radish already being sold in the local market by the caretaker. 

The farm visits to individual cluster members was also interesting.  Everyone had a patch of vegetables and herbs in their backyard and a  pile of compost – almost all  started only after the November cluster planning meeting.  Prior to the cluster formation, these participants were involved in the organic rice production project and were hosts of rice trial farms or have attended the organic rice farming training.

It is not only the backyard gardens that demonstrated the dynamism of the cluster. The meeting was just as interesting with members reporting their excitement with the new knowledge on organic preparations and how they used fish amino acid, seaweed and fruit extracts  in their own vegetable and herb gardens.  After the meeting, other cluster members were eager to invite to show off  their own home gardens.  Others are motivated by the prospect of selling compost material.

Free Farm Organic Fertilizer as the Cluster Enterprise
The production of compost is a process that Bebeng, Jimmy and Rey have almost perfected.  The growing number of their repeat customers is proving that the material is effective.  They are not even selling compost to organic farmers.  They believe that organic farming practitioners should produce their own compost. Their customers are conventional rice farmers who tried to use compost as basal (organic material plowed into the rice farm before planting) for their farms and have seen the soil improve, their farm input costs reduced and the yield of their farms unaffected.  These are customers who are careful and observant and would usually try the compost on a small plot before applying it to their entire farm area.  A number of the customers would use the compost for areas that produce the rice for home consumption.

Jimmy continues to assure others that it is a simple process.  He even challenges his regular customers to produce their own compost.  Two of them have taken up the challenge.  He is confident that others will want to try and they will be the new buyers of his compost.  At this time, demand for the compost is greater than they could supply.

Already, some features of the enterprise are firming up. For example, it was reported at the meeting that someone (not from their group) sold organic fertilizer to one farmer whose farm helpers are complaining because the compost emitted a foul smell.  Anyone who wishes to check can get a lump of FreeFarm Organic Fertilizer (FFOF) from a pile that is fully composted and sniff  its sweetish, pleasant smell. To guarantee the quality of the FFOF, the cluster is going to take charge of overseeing production by individual members and only those who follow the required procedures may participate in the Biofarming Cluster’s marketing activity.  For gathering orders, guaranteeing quality and ensuring supply, the Biofarming Cluster will add a premium to FFOF that it sells in the market. 

Occidental Mindoro as a rice-producing province is steeped in the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. The situation is creating the prospective market for organic fertilizer. Huge areas are showing signs of over fertilization with inorganic material: the soil is turning whitish gray and getting harder. “FreeFarm Organic Fertilizer” is proving to be an effective and cheap solution for reconditioning the soil and the San Agustin Biofarming Cluster is preparing to seize this market opportunity. Their main marketing strategy is to show off their own rice and vegetable farms thriving on FFOF. The strategy is strengthened by the testimony of their conventional farmer customers who keep coming back  to place their order of FFOF to have the supply ready  for the 2nd cropping season that starts in December 2009.

The production of FFOF for sale is no longer limited to Bebeng, Jimmy and Rey. Others have joined them and are selling smaller quantities of FFOF.  Others  participate in  gathering animal manure, rice straw, kakawate and ipil-ipil leaves or preparing carbonized rice hull – all ingredients of FFOF.  They have even found ways of sharing the proceeds after putting the raw materials together.  One rancher allows one group to gather the cow manure at his ranch in exchange for 20 bags of compost per season. 

The members of the San Agustin Biofarming Cluster are optimistic about the future of FFOF that has now reached not only other barangays of San Jose but a few other adjacent towns and even the next province of Oriental Mindoro. The vision of San Agustin as  the center of organic fertilizer production for the island of Mindoro excites the cluster members immensely!