Farming, we believe is a blessing for this is the first profession given by God to man, says Nicolas Wales, the owner of the farm. Now, with full confidence, he can assert that farming and agriculture itself is a fulfilling endeavor and be given more priority.
Presently, he is now a full-time farmer, personally tilling the land as a source of food for his family and others. Nicolas sees the farm as more than a source of food but of wisdom - imparting to others the principles of food sustainability and biodiversity.
Nicolas dreamt of having a farm at the same time a school that would demonstrate and inculcate the values of sustainable farming. He is also open to the possibility that the farm will become a research partner by other institutions. Now, the Biological Integrated Agriculture (BIAG) Farm at Daclan, Bokod, Benguet, a certified Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) of DA-ATI-CAR in 2018 is realizing that vision he etched years back. The farm highlights livestock and mountain tea as major farm components.
The BIAG farm came into reality with the conviction that as LSA, it can facilitate a paradigm shift. Through the farm, others can see and understand the farming principles and teachings because these are being demonstrated in the area.
Being an LSA strengthened its partnership with MLGU Bokod on agriculture-related activities. Since its certification as LSA, the Farm hosted several trainings on integrated farming and farm visits of individuals and groups coming from different places. Accordingly, it serves as on-the-job-training area, wherein the Farm already issued certificates of hands-on training to youth who went to other countries to work as agricultural/farm workers.
As an integrated farm, diverse agri-enterprise are already in-placed but Nicolas plans to include apiary activity seeing the importance of honeybees in crop production and the whole biodiversity in the area.
More, he wants to revive the horseback riding activity as a way to educate more people about the farming and its farming components. The farm started to offer the horseback riding during the pandemic and was seen to be viable because the route includes the Sulfur Hot spring, locally known as Badekbek, one of the tourism sites of the Municipality.
After graduating Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Agricultural Science, Nicolas worked with the Plan International Inc. before serving as an agricultural technologist in Bokod, Benguet.
The Plan International Inc. is a non-government organization (NGO) working to ensure that children realize the high quality of life thus implementing various programs that would facilitate the wholistic welfare of the children.
There (Plan International), I have learned the principle of learning by doing and teaching by doing that gave me the push to conceptualize integrated farming and started to make a farm plan (even before the BIAG farm was operated), Wales shares.
The plan of the farm he drafted includes the lay-out, its components, vision and objectives and unknowingly, that plan is slowly being realized.
During the late 1980’s, the NGO is already advocating food availability among the families. Nicolas has still preserved a copy of the book SAMAKA Guide to Homesite Farming by PCSO. The book serves as a guide on small-scale and household farming, and to Nicolas, the principles written in the book directed him to systematize the farm operations of the BIAG farm.
Nicolas, after serving as an agricultural extension worker (AEW) for twenty-eight years, chose for optional retirement from the government service in 2018. While in the government service, he took time to gradually develop the farm based on the plan which he crafted years ago when he was still with the Plan International.
Transforming the farm to become as it now is in also response to the adverse effect of climate change as reiterated by Nicolas. One purpose of the farm is to conserve endemic plant species and introduce new species that are beneficial hoping that the farm will be a gene pool of various plants and animals. Further, the farm aims to generate soil fertility through crops and livestock with the aid of with the aid of soil microorganisms, for which Nicolas already introduced the use of inoculant in the farm.
The Farm adheres with the bio dynamic practice. Biodynamic farms aspire to generate their own fertility through composting, integrating animals, cover cropping, and crop rotation.
“Agriculture sector indeed in a way is extractive, but compare to other extractive industries, soil fertility can regenerate with proper interventions and practices’, added Wales. As such, he gives emphasis to composting wherein everything can be decomposed to be integrated into to the soil.
Composting brings animal manures, plant material, and soil into healthy relationship and transforms them into a potent source of strength and fertility for the farm organism. The principles and practices of biodynamics can be applied anywhere food is grown, with thoughtful adaptation to scale, landscape, climate, and culture (Biodynamic Association).
As he shares, he believes in the principles of conservation and integration that is why diverse plants and animals can be found in the farm. He calls the conservation as ‘adding-on’ wherein, if possible, propagates the native species for preservation while ‘adding-in’ is the introduction of new species he knows that can thrive and be a part of the existing biodiversity.
Nicolas describes the former set-up of the farm. Accordingly, wider portion of the area was devoted as their family’s pasture land thus growth of pine trees and other plants was limited. Crops typically planted were rice and camote.
For years, the area was not cultivated as the Wales family grew and needed to find other professions.
The land became idle for years that allowed more trees and new plant species to naturally grew in the area that enabled the emergence of a new ecosystem. The area now is a haven of diverse yet interconnected plant and animal species. The pine trees in the area are considered second generation growth.
Now, visiting the area will give you a new farm experience. A small road leading to the farm is surrounded with pine trees giving a fresh breath of air and the other side of the farm is like rainforest especially during rainy season.
A composting facility wherein a compost digester provided by the DA-BSWM serves as the introductory component of the farm. The farm highlights the organic farming because of the abundance of raw materials to be used as inputs for OA farming. The presence of the compost digester will enable more the production of organic compost to be used in the farm as the same time to supply to increasing buyers of compost fertilizers in the area.
Going further is the residential house and adjacent to this is the holding at the same time training venue of the farm.
Rabbit production is placed nearby the residential house for easier tending and purposely located near the composting facility. The rabbit manures are important inputs to the compost fertilizer the farm is producing.
Poultry production includes native chicken, duck and Guinea fowl or Benggala chicken.
As you go walk further to the place, there are other plants growing in the area. Although Nicolas cannot identify these plants, he believes that these plants are part of the ecosystem making the farm a forest in itself.
The agroforestry area with various plants like alnus, native figs, Benguet pine trees, rattan, and other endemic trees and plants served as sanctuary of various farm components. The taller trees serve as cover crops for coffee and mountain tea production. Notable in the farm are the green tea crops - the Gipah and Camella sinensis planted as hedgerow for soil erosion control at the same as drink/beverage.
There are open sites that are set for animal production- goat, cows, sheep, swine, horse and native chicken. Fences and housing for each kind of animals are already built. Aside from the farm, there also have other pasture lands in the nearby barangays they let the cows and horses to freely roam.
For the livestock production, trichantera and napier grass are planted in the area. Aside from ‘cut and carry’ practice, silage production is being done to ensure that foods for these animals are always at hand.
The livestock production is being sustained because Nicolas is practicing breeding techniques. This is to ensure the availability of the purebred or upgraded stocks not just to his farm but to others as there are already buyers coming from other places.
The farm started to tend goat (in limited numbers) in the 1990s but it was only in 2005 that they started to increase the number of the goats being domesticated wherein goat houses and pens were constructed. Nicolas is encouraging the goat production with the aim to promote milk production while promoting the utilization of marginal lands.
Aside from goat, the sheep production is also a viable component because they are already buyers of sheep from the nearby barangays.
When it comes to swine production, presently, the farm concentrates on its artificial insemination (AI) more than the piglet production. The AI practice is already been an accepted technology in the municipality and other nearby towns. Nicolas is thankful that he was able to train his nephew on AI that both of them can cater to the increasing number of clients requesting AI services for their swine production.
Acquiring the skills and knowledge on AI technology back then was stirred by his dedication to upgrade the livestock sector in the Municipality of Bokod. He recalls, he started with self-reading on the latest trends and technologies on animal science. It was in 1996 that he attended a training on artificial insemination conducted by the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry. He recalled that when heard about the training, he personally requested to attend the said training. Since then, he became an advocate of AI and a very proud graduate of that training course.
“I am very grateful to the ITCP for the training back then on artificial insemination. The learnings I have gained is so very helpful until now. I am looking forward to personally thanked them for those knowledge and skills imparted in me’, says Nicolas.
He added that right after the training, he proposed a livestock upgrading for cow production in the municipality of Bokod. It was approved and funded through the leadership of the late Mayor Alberto Cuilan wherein stocks and were procured and distributed to the farmers along with the construction of needed facilities for artificial insemination. Although, it was only a short-term project, this paved for AI to be introduced in the locality.
Introducing the new technology on hog raising however was not that easy but through time, AI is now an accepted and adopted practice in the area.
Although livestock production is the farm’s highlight, it also showcases various farming enterprises putting additional value to the farm’s produce with the inclusion of food processing. The farm is producing its own ground coffee, dried green and mountain tea for drinks. Also, they are cooking guava jam and other fruits that are grown in the farm.
Nicolas enjoys farming and those experiences led him to develop more the farm, a manifestation of his dedication to agriculture.
Back in the 1980’s, Benguet province was not spared to be affected by the issue of the proposed Chico dam constructions as it is home of two big dams- the Ambuklao and Binga. Nicolas then, young and idealistic almost joined the opposition group.
He testified that it was by God’s intervention, he met a US veteran who shared the Word of Gospel to him. He realized that taking part with the opposition is not the perfect solution. Instead, he decided to continue his studies. At first, he wanted to become a policeman but was not qualified because he did not meet the height requirement (height waiver for such course is not yet issued).
After completing his BS on Agriculture course, he worked with the Plan International. His passion for agriculture grew that he decided to farm after working for three years with the said NGO. But came the 1990 earthquake, his plan of farming was interrupted because needed to find a job. It so happened that there were opening at the Department of Agriculture so he took the opportunity.
Nicolas working with the agriculture sector as a government employee learned and lived that serving in the sector needs personal touch as it involves people. Services being provided in the sector is more on technical assistance and advisories to help increase the knowledge and skills of the people on agriculture. He recognizes that if farmers are well supported, they will also be motivated to take part in the economic development of the community.
With the challenges of being an AEW, Nicolas is persistent in his advocacy to uplift the agriculture sector. Despite being retired in the government service, his legacy continues because his son, Jarish is now working with the agricultural office in the Municipality. He keeps on inculcating to his grandchildren’s mind the value of farming, allowing them to help in the farming activities. The farm in itself he says, is a fruit of their family’s labor, unity and love.
Almost six years since he is into full time farming and as the local term ‘BIAG’ means LIFE, Nicolas will allow new species to thrive in the farm. He will keep on cultivating the farm to reflect that farming means life and a blessing. Also, it is a profession given by God to man to show what NURTURE mean as God is giving that to His people.
References:
https://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamic-principles-and-practices#:~:text…;
Date Retrieved April 4, 2024
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