Their Conviction
Why did you engage in this endeavor? The very first question asked to Connie about their organic farm. She smiled and with a conviction, said “For us to show that what we are advocating for is real and doable”.
Being public servants in the agriculture sector, both Connie and her husband Jeffrey, were exposed to different kinds of attitudes, including the dreaded “to see is to believe” mentality of some farmers. The couple wanted to conquer this mentality and prove that Organic Agriculture is really more beneficial than chemical-laden farming and that their advocacy is not just a lip service.
For Jeff, this was a big challenge. Being the Municipal Agriculturist of Tublay, he must take the lead in pursuing their office’s vision- a progressive organic practicing municipality with food sufficiency.
The Establishment Period
The couple then persevered to establish their own organic farm to set an example in their locality and more importantly to ensure nutritious and safe food for their family. Using their knowledge and skills acquired from childhood (both coming from a farming family) and from attendance to various trainings here and abroad (both were recipients of ATI-RTC-CAR trainings and of the Young Filipino Farmers Training Program in Japan) the couple started developing their organic farm in 2011.
During the early days of establishment, Connie honestly admitted that there was a point when she described their efforts as burdensome. Financial constraint was their ultimate struggle. Determined to finish what they have started, the couple availed of personal loans to augment their financial needs. Eventually, the land was transformed into an organic farm.
Their Struggles and Their Values
The passion and commitment of the couple to the advocacy and practice of organic farming won all limiting factors in their operation such as time, funds, and other resources.
The couple persevered to compensate for the time devoted to government service. Farm works were usually done before and after office hours, during weekends and holidays, and sometimes even extended until night time.
Criticisms from a few conventional farmers sometimes weakened the hearts of the couple but they remained optimistic and focused, keeping in mind the reasons why they established the farm. They adopted the battle cry “No retreat, no surrender!”
The couple made use of the power of networking to their advantage. Financial constraints were surmounted by availing government supports through Tublay Organic Farming Practitioners Association (TOFPA) wherein Connie is an active member. For facilities, the DA CAR provided some materials for the greenhouse construction- pipes for frames, nets, and plastic sheets.
With the existing facilities and equipment, the Agricultural Training Institute-CAR approved their proposal on ‘Upscaling GAP Certified Organic Farm into Learning Site’ in 2015. An amount of PhP150, 000.00 was released to them in January 2016 used mainly to fund the construction of a holding area.
The Need for Certification
Aware of the need to undergo certification as an organic farm, they finished the four phases of Internal Control Systems (ICS) installation together with the members of the Tublay Organic Farming Practitioners Association with assistance from the Agricultural Training Institute - CAR. They applied for their Organic Farm Certification. In 2014, while waiting for the OA certification result, they also took the opportunity to subject their farm to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. Becoming a GAP-Certified Farm was not an easy process as this required much of what they expected. Determined to become one, they followed the processes and submitted the necessary documents. Finally, after almost a year of preparation and waiting, the farm received its PhilGAP certification in April 2015.
The Farm Today
Named after the owners, COJORAN stands for Connie and Jeff Organically Responsive to Agriculture and Nature. And it is!
As a place for learning, the farm showcases the use of windbreaks and buffer plants like tricantera, tuel tree (tuai tree), callandra, and banana to help protect the crops from wind damage as well as chemical contamination. Plants were labeled with their common name for visitors to know and improvised insect traps were installed in their greenhouses. The farm has also its own nursery, composting area, concoction area, washing area, and packing area strategically located based on the standards. The couple also put up water storage system-tapped from a clean source – a must requirement for GAP certification
With the facilities ready in-place, availability of local materials, and coupled with technical expertise, Connie and Jeff started producing their own organic fertilizers. They use compost (from biodegradable wastes of the farm) and liquid fertilizer such as fermented honeycomb, and eggshells mixed with mukosaku and molasses. They established their own “mokusaku” facility near their residence as the source of mokusaku or wood vinegar.
Likewise, they have already established their market selling their produce in front of Tublay Municipal Building every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and at the Benguet Provincial Capitol every 15th and 30th of the month through TOFPA.
To maintain the area, they employed one person for the day-to-day activities on the farm. Farm recording is very important thus, daily activities were noted. They hired additional workers during weeding or other major farm activities, on a daily basis locally called ‘puldiya’. Aside from these, the couple always takes the opportunity to do farm works with their children during weekends or their available time. This is one of their bonding moments together as a family.
The Farm as Learning Site
As a Learning Site, the farm is now one of the visit sites promoted by ATI-RTC-CAR and DA-CAR for farmers from various places. Fellow farmers also from the area are taking the time to visit and inquire about their farm practices. Connie and Jeff, confidently share their knowledge and experiences of having a PhilGAP certified organic farm. The couple is now being invited as Resource Persons in ATI-RTC-CAR and OPAG-Benguet coordinated organic agriculture-related activities.
Students are also conducting research in the area, specifically on the evaluation of the different concoctions that are applied on the farm.
The Fruits of Their Labor
According to the couple, the present income from their farm is almost comparable with what they are receiving as government workers. More importantly, they are happy and proud to produce safe food products for their family and for other consumers. They have established a concrete model where they can share both organic and GAP systems of farming with farmers and other stakeholders and probably break the “to see is to believe mentality.”
According to Jeff, their advocacy and practice of organic farming gave them a more meaningful perspective about farming, that it is not just tilling the soil or planting seeds, but also taking into account the healthy relationship of agriculture to the environment, health, and more so the mindset of farmers. According to the couple, they feel fulfilled whenever they had the opportunity to educate individuals on their advocacy.
The term cojoran literally means “a pulling place” in Ibaloi. The farm will continuously evolve so that like a magnetic force in the field, it will “pull” or influence others to go into good and safe farming practices.
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