For most daughters, their fathers are the wisest men in the world. As Ms. Leonila Troyo Cajes have followed in her father’s footsteps, it is a testament to her belief in her father’s legacy.
A daughter’s inspiration
The farm was realized by Ms. Leonila Troyo Cajes’ tireless dedication and vision, carrying forward her father’s legacy in agriculture while enriching the community with modern agricultural knowledge and training. Even at 59 years old, Ms. Cajes is high-spirited to venture into farming as she shares, “Maybe it is a bit late in my age, but I realized that I could be a farmer, and I'm inspired by my father because he was also a farmer awardee back then in ViSCA, and all of us, his children were sent to school and have now become professionals.”
Ms. Cajes attended a training on Tilapia farming initiated by the City Government of Baybay. Soon right after, she started tilapia production. Tilapia farming is one of the programs of Mayor Jose Carlos Cari to sustain the local fish supply in the area and help farmers earn additional income. Ms. Cajes restored the old pond of her late father and raised tilapia fingerlings provided by the LGU - Baybay. The farm saw potential in tilapia farming after earning around 25,000 pesos on its first harvest.
Upon the prodding of retired Baybay City Agriculturist, Ms. Ellen Siddiqui, Ms. Cajes sought to apply as Learning Site for Agriculture with ATI RTC 8.
Chandria Integrated Farm became one of ATI’s learning sites for agriculture (LSA) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) program. The farm is a three-hectare fertile land in Barangay Gacat, Baybay City, Leyte. It is actively implementing sustainable practices based on an integrated diversified farming system which has components on rice, vegetables, tilapia, and livestock. Later, the farm also became a TESDA Farm School.
The farm is maintained by three (3) farm laborers: one for livestock and two for vegetables. The farm school has four (4) staff to handle administrative tasks and training services.
Tech in practice
With ATI’s intensive training, the farm adopted new rice technologies, and one of the farm's best practices is limiting the use of synthetic chemicals and applying a fermented plant-based solution, a combination of muti-muti (Ipomoea triloba) and hagonoy (Chromolaena odorata) as an alternative molluscicide to control snails during vegetative stages. This unique technology safeguards the crops while being environmentally responsible.
In terms of vegetable production, Chandria followed good agricultural practices (GAP) ensuring food safety. It produces its own nutrient solution for lettuce hydroponics and applies minimal synthetic fertilizers to the vegetables under protected cultivation. Likewise, the farm also efficiently utilizes its vegetable peels and scraped portions as supplemental feed for its domesticated animals, reducing wastes and its need for commercial feed. The farm directly distributes its harvest to the LGU’s Kadiwa program. Mr. Petrolino Flandez, one of the farm staff, mentioned that, “Before, we were difficulty in marketing our products, but through the Kadiwa, we have a stable market for our produce, making it easier to connect with local consumers”.
Apart from tilling the land and rearing crops, the farm pursues to share its agricultural practices and technologies with fellow farmers. Chandria Integrated Farm applied for Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) accreditation offering Training Courses for Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) particularly on Organic Agriculture Production NC II, Agricultural Crops Production NC II, Rice Machinery Operations NC II, and Production of High Inbred Rice, and Seed Certification, and Farm Mechanization. Since 2021, the farm has produced hundreds of skilled graduates and most of them were employed already in the agriculture industry.
According to Ms. Cajes, there are times when problems emerge on the farm. Like other farms cooperators, they also feel the struggle with the rising prices of farm inputs. To make up for the expenses incurred, they make sure that production can keep up. She also mentioned that there were times before when they would make mistakes in the planting of certain crops which has now been improved as they learned to schedule planting of crops for whichever is in demand during a particular season.
A stronger legacy
Developments in the farm are far from over. Ms. Cajes, with her political stature as Barangay chairperson, is also an enabling role that guide and encourage the farmers in the community to embrace modern agricultural practices. It molds Chandria Integrated Farm to become more than a place of cultivation but a source of inspiration and a great source of income for the community.
Ms. Cajes shares, “There is money in farming. People will not realize this unless they venture into farming. They must be willing to go hands-on and focus.” She added that some people are afraid to try farming because they do not have the finances to start. She suggests that people must ask for help from the local government as there are projects that can help them.
Working on her father’s legacy, Ms. Cajes saw that it has benefited not just their family but also the community. While she is actively serving her community as barangay captain, she is also steadily managing the farm. Politics and agriculture, when the plans and purposes align, can indeed make a significant difference.
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