Who would ever imagine that a pandemic would completely change a person’s life and direction?

For a decade, Agustin A. Pudadera III, 44, was employed as a private nurse in Bacolod City. He pursued this career after initially studying maritime. Like many, he dreamt of working abroad, inspired by the demand for healthcare workers in the United States.

But life had other plans as Agustin juggled family responsibilities, including raising four children while being a nursing student at 30. To supplement his income, he took on small businesses—offering blood pressure checks for senior citizens and locals at the plaza and wet markets, running a barbecue stall, and even renting out a boarding house. Despite his best efforts, he still faced financial struggles especially since college expenses are increasing yearly.

“I remember my first income from those blood pressure checks was just PhP 175.00. It was a small amount, but it kept me going.” He recalled. These experiences helped him understand the value of entrepreneurship.

Shifting Careers

In March 2020, the pandemic struck the globe, and everything came to a stop. His boarding house business collapsed, and his medical career was at a crossroads. Luckily, before the pandemic hit, he had begun preparing the farm, unknowingly setting the stage for what would become his life's new passion. It was a passion rooted in his childhood, since his family owned a rice farm and a fishpond in Barangay Rizal-3, Banga, South Cotabato.

"During the pandemic, I realized the importance of food security. That was when I knew I needed to focus entirely on farming.", he said. With encouragement from his brother to return to their hometown who reminded him that his mother was aging, he decided to shift careers. From his savings as a private nurse, he started a swine enterprise with 30 sows. Although the profits from the piggery went primarily toward maintaining the farm, it was a start.

However, Agustin quickly faced the harsh realities of farming. The African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak caused major losses to his piggery. Worse, it has depopulated the swine enterprise, wiping out over 400 fattening pigs. The rising costs of feeds and other inputs also strained his operations. It was a devastating blow that could have ended his farming journey.

Coping with challenges

Despite the struggles and trials, he coincidentally came across a news article about the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) SOCCSKSARGEN looking for farm owners to become Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSA) cooperators in the same year. Intrigued, he applied and, in November 2020, was certified as an LSA under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program.

Nenita Farm, named in honor of his mother, became a diversified hub for learning and producing rice, coconuts, livestock, and poultry. His practical approach to farming became his farm’s strength.

“To cope with the challenges, diversification saved my farm. I learned to never put all my eggs in one basket. Farming is not just about producing—it’s about making the land work for you like a business.” he explained.

From being an RCEF-LSA of ATI, the farm has been upgraded into a Farm School with the accreditation of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). With this, the farm has trained 750 local farmers through 30 batches of RCEF Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in Banga and Norala.

In the face of adversity, he also led the formation of the Hugpong Pwersa Producers Cooperative which allowed them to recover. His farm is now ready for expansion as they will break ground on a project that aims to elevate the farm’s production level with the support of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program.

The 30-Sow Level Multiplier Farm under the DA’s INSPIRE Program focuses on providing Grandparent stocks that produce F1, which can serve as breeder stocks for swine farmers. Previously, farmers faced challenges in sourcing high-quality breeder stocks, but this initiative ensures access to quality breeders, allowing swine farmers to repopulate efficiently.

Looking forward

Agustin also found innovative ways to lower his production costs. Drawing from the training he received, he applied scientific farming techniques to create a low-cost feed using golden apple snails, azolla, ipil-ipil leaves, corn, and coconut sap. This innovative feed nourished his catfish, tilapia, ducks, and chickens, significantly reducing the farm’s reliance on expensive commercial feeds.

Nenita Farm has since become a family business. His wife is deeply involved in managing the farm’s daily activities, while his four children, including Joshua, a computer science student, help on weekends. He is intentional about teaching his children the importance of farming. “As the head of the family, I want to instill in them that agriculture is something valuable, something we can pass on.” Agustin explained.

Looking ahead, Agustin envisions expanding Nenita Farm into a 50-sow enterprise with a focus on food processing and entrepreneurship training for students. He also dreams of establishing a white copra facility and transforming his farm into a farm tourism destination.

Though his dream of working as a nurse abroad never materialized, his farming journey has been nothing short of remarkable. His story proves that, sometimes, the most unexpected career shift can lead to immense success.