Located at Zone 1B, Barangay Burgos, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro is the hilly farm owned by Francisco Obtinalla and his family. Though approximately two (2) kilometers from the main road, the farm becomes a learning destination for rural women, youth, and farmers who want to learn skills in farming.
“Distance is not an issue here,” Francisco shares. This is what he wants to prove that what matters most are the technologies and best practices that people want to learn from his farm.
Walking the talk: As an exemplary public servant
Francisco is 58 years old, a Community Development Coordinator (CDC) of the Municipal Agriculture office in Sablayan. He has been in the government for six (6) years. As a government employee, he equipped himself with necessary skills in farming through attending various trainings, seminars, and workshops conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute in MiMaRoPa and one of which was the Training on Organic Vegetable Production in 2012.
Even before he started to work as a public servant, he was already engaged in vegetable farming. He was very thankful that his current work is related to his passion. During his 34 years in farming, he learned that the best way to teach people is by showing an example. “If you truly want to be followed and respected by the people in the community, you should walk the talk”, he says.
As a trainer, Francisco decided to put up a 1.2-hectare organic vegetable farm to be able to convince farmers to engage in organic farming. Applying all the techniques in organic farming that he acquired from the local trainings, he planted various vegetables such as eggplant, bean, and okra. “Farming requires you to be a hands-on farmer. Otherwise, you won’t succeed”, he affirms.
According to him, it is one of his responsibilities as CDC to educate farmers on Organic Agriculture (OA) and promote its beneficial effects not only on humans health but also on the environment. Though the location of his farm is a big challenge for other visitors and fellow farmers, it is always open for those who need help in acquiring skills and knowledge about organic farming.
Influencing others
Francisco is an active and an achiever Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) of the FITS-Sablayan. As an MS, he had been requested by the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) as a resource speaker in trainings on OA. Even schools and non-government organizations (NGOs) also invited him to any activities related to OA. “Every time they requested me to be a resource speaker, I always say ‘yes’ because, in this way, I can share my knowledge and skills based on the experiences I have on my farm”, he states.
“I am so much thankful that I was chosen as MS in 2016 specializing in organic vegetable production”, he says. Being an MS, he is honored that his farm production and income have always been the point of reference of his neighbors and fellow farmers. Whenever students and farmers visited him, he encouraged them to go organic farming and emulate his farming technologies.
Francisco believes that farm distance is not a hindrance in motivating other farmers to engage in organic farming. “My logbook is one of the evidence that my farm has a lot of beneficiaries. If they trusted you that you can help them increase their income using your best technology and practices, they will visit your farm no matter how far it is”, he shares.
Continuous honing
With hard work and perseverance, after one (1) year of being the MS, one of the most significant changes that he observed in his life is the fact that more visitors visited his farm to seek technology relating to OA. “What I have now are blessings from God, and I know He made me an instrument to inspire others”, he stresses.
Francisco continuously attends trainings in OA, particularly on Vegetable Production and Rice Production. These activities equipped him with all the technologies to improve his farm and increase the production of his area. He also participated in cross visits carried out by different government agencies which he believes had broadened his knowledge and experience as a farmer-scientist.
At this moment, he is looking forward to a more viable and competitive market for his harvest. He is also envisioning a vegetable processing enterprise that can generate income and offer additional employment for other vegetable growers. “I know that it could happen. And if that happens, there will be no more poor vegetable farmers”, he confirms.
Francisco’s farm is living proof that ‘farm distance’ is no longer an issue, as long as you have love, commitment, and determination in farming, you can persuade others.
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