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Organic farmers reap rewards
Elenita and Clifford Timbancaya live on one of the 7,107 tropical islands that make up the Philippines. Like many Filipinos the couple earn a living from agriculture; unlike most they farm organically, with the help of a Shell training programme.
Crouched between rows of string beans and eggplants under the warm afternoon sun, Elenita “Angga” Timbancaya snips away at a bush, harvesting a handful of dainty white Asters, ornamental flowers she has planted as an experiment among the vegetables. “Look at these,” she says in obvious delight at the result of her efforts. It’s another small success for St. John, the organic farm she runs with her husband Clifford.
The Timbancayas live on Palawan, a hot, humid island in the Philippines edged with white sand and clear sea.
“Owning a farm had always been a dream,” says Angga. “My husband and I had been planting vegetables and raising pigs in the backyard of our house for years. In 2005, and with no real farming experience, we decided to take the plunge. We bought three hectares of uncultivated ground to turn into a profitable farm. It’s amazing to think that in the beginning this was just jungle.”
In recent years rapid population growth in the Philippines has encouraged farmers to produce more. But using chemical fertilisers to achieve higher yields can raise production costs and damage the soil. The Pilipinas Shell Foundation* offers one solution that helps protect the environment: since the 1980s it has run courses on good business practice and organic farming methods.
A better yield
Two years after buying St. John, the Timbancayas attended a 10-day course at a Shell training farm. The integrated farming bio-systems programme, as it’s known, shows farmers how to draw on available resources and use low-cost technologies to increase productivity, while respecting the land.
“We learned about correct, ecologically sound farming processes,” says Clifford. “We were shown how to make compost for natural fertiliser, and how to prepare the soil so that the seedlings stay healthy. And we were told which crops could grow with others, which can double or even triple a hectare’s yield.”
Organic farming accounts for a small part of the Philippines' agriculture industry, but is on the increase. Bananas, beef, mangoes, papayas, and peanuts are among organic products the country exports. Organic farmers can sell their produce locally, or apply to have it certified for export. So far, the Pilipinas Shell Foundation scheme has helped more than 12,200 farmers in the Philippines master organic methods.
Under the system farmers select crops according to climate type, topography, type of soil and the existing ecosystem. They learn when they should plant only one type of crop, and which crops will grow well together or in sequence to preserve soil fertility and resist pests. Livestock production, too, is considered in the programme and farmers learn how to formulate feeds. These technical processes are combined with lessons in planning and budgeting to make farmers more business-minded.
Growing success
Back on the farm the Timbancayas have turned theory into practice. Within just a few months of introducing the system, Angga and Clifford reaped their first abundant harvest from seedlings grown on just a single hectare. In a country where the average monthly wage is $213, the Timbancayas can now earn up to $520 in a month. A series of piglets from sows raised on the farm using formulated feeds gave a substantial return of $1,200. “There is so much to be gained from working the soil,” says Clifford. “I want to prove that you can earn a living as a farmer."
The rewards of the organic system spread through the community. Angga, for example, allows farmhands to raise piglets for sale and share the profits. Some workers have even gone on to manage their own plots. The Timbancayas also take on farmers caught using illegal or harmful farming methods elsewhere – local officials believe that at St. John they will learn the right way to do things.
In the future Clifford and Angga hope to turn their home into an ecotourism stop where guests can harvest their own dinner. “Farming is hard work, but the satisfaction of making things grow can’t be bought,” says Clifford. “We love the land and plants and care for them like family – after all we’re doing this for our children and grandchildren.”
*Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. manages social development programmes for Shell Philippines. This includes those for Northern Palawan, the area nearest the Malampaya gas field. Since 2001 Malampaya, a joint venture between Shell, Chevron Texas and the Philippine National Oil Company, has produced natural gas for three power stations generating 2,700 megawatts of electricity for the country's main island, Luzon. This represents 25% of power needs in the Philippines.
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