Sustainability against all odds: Meet our grassroots farmers

Sustainability remains a national buzzword. All over social media, we hear of leaders and experts talking about how to push for sustainability in the Philippines.

While we recognize the role of the mainstream discourse, it’s worth recognizing that there are impassioned individuals putting sustainability into actual practice. Despite limited resources and even lack of support from the government, these advocates persevere in creating models that benefit everyone in their communities. And interestingly, they are succeeding!

I have met two farmers who initiated agro ecology in their farms. They may not be known nationally but their efforts make them unsung heroes. They are champions worth emulating and whom we should learn from. Even our institutions and policy makers can learn a lot from their sustainability practices which can be replicated nationwide.

Ashley Lamaton from Barlig, Mountain Province has been a coffee farmer for more than ten years. There is so much to learn from his story, not just as a producer but also as a champion of sustainability.

Ashley started as an heirloom rice producer. Later on, he started planting coffee on vacant lots. At first, some community members would mock his project, saying that coffee will not thrive. Yet, he just continued planting and reforesting denuded landscapes.

A Japanese coffee connoisseur who visited his farm labeled Ashley’s farm as a jungle. That is what makes his project amazing.

He managed to not only grow thousands of coffee trees but also transforms a once idle and degraded mountain slope into a thriving ecosystem. At his farm, you will find not only coffee but many other fruit-bearing trees such as betel nut, cacao as well as different vegetables. He also preserved various native trees that serve as food for birds and other wildlife. These also help stabilize the soil and ensure continuous provision of important nutrients and minerals.

Ashley mentioned that he does not use any chemical inputs as the farm is self-sustaining. He transformed his farm in such a way that every species can play a good role for each other, while microorganisms contribute to sustaining soil balance and fertility.

“The coffee trees and the forest that we have planted are not only beneficial for our community. They also ensure water availability for rivers that irrigate farms from the highlands to the lowlands,” shared Ashley.

Today, Ashley’s farm is a recognized training site by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and an accredited nursery. Visitors coming here will not only learn hands-on practical organic farming practices but also the sustainability philosophies of Ashley.

Just an hour‘s drive from Ashley’s farm is the municipality of Natonin, which hosts the country’s largest contiguous rice terraces. Here, we met a farmer namely Arnold Timmangao. Like Ashley, he is a visionary who initiated a sustainability project in the form of an agro-ecological farm.

Arnold also started his project with very limited resources and support, aggravated by discouragement from fellow locals. Yet his vision and passion kept him going. Today, he has multiple plots with diverse crops including dragon fruit, durian, lanzones, rambutan and cacao.

But here is what makes his plots fascinating and true to sustainability. He grows his crops akin to a forest, as opposed to mono-cropping agriculture.

During our first visit to one of his farms, I initially thought it was a dipterocarp forest. But upon closer look, it was an ecosystem of fruit trees intercropped with native trees, including an endangered species locally known as habrang. Such is the lushness and biodiversity of this plot that it even feeds a nearby creek that feeds the mighty Sifu River.

Arnold has also pioneered freshwater eel farming. He shared that he had multiple rounds of failures before he managed to sell. Recently, he has ventured into crayfish farming, given the growing demand. And yes, he does not have issues with water, thanks to an all year-round supply, partly thanks to his forest plot.

Given his farm’s ideal terrain, Arnold has also started growing Arabica coffee. Like Ashley, he grows them under the shade of taller trees, which enhance soil fertility.

Indeed, Ashley and Arnold demonstrate that sustainability is not an impossible dream but one that can be realized with a good dose of passion and perseverance. And of course, a genuine heart for people and planet.

They may be farmers with their own challenges and limitations, but they managed to create farms that harmonize environmental preservation with livelihood creation.

So while others are complaining about how bad the climate is, they are there planting trees and restoring forests. Truly, they are earth champions!

May we all be like them in our own little ways.

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Daniel Maches is a coffee farmer and social entrepreneur. He is a proud member of the indigenous I-Lias tribe in Barlig, Mountain Province.