Treasures in Veggies
It was 4 am, blinding rain against the sky where the great copper ball of the sun will come out the usual, heat clawing at the earth anytime, but not this day. The rain is threatening the harvest day for the 59 year-old Armando Canoñero.
The man slipped out from his room and sip his cup of coffee. His bare feet getting ready to wear his pair of boots that shield against parched grasses and scrub off some itch. In 10 minutes, he will be through the grove and out even on the blinding rain to start the day.
Armando, who spent all his life on farming once thought that farming was not a decent means for survival. How will he feed his family and overcome poverty with a meager harvest? How will he able to send his children to school and gave a better life? These were just some of the questions left unanswered.
But Armando never loses hope. While men of his age are leading towards a retired life, he became more eager to pursue his dream for his family. To bring them forth out of nothing.
In 1999, Armando took a brave step that changed his life for the better, that is, vegetable farming after being informed that it offers good return. He grows bitter guard, sponge guard, cucumber, string beans, eggplant, lady fingers, tomatoes and squash.
Since then, he made farming in his land in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur a lucrative affair. Every harvest period, he was a picture of contentment as he looks upon his vegetable farm, His men were ready for the bounty harvest indeed.
However, finding a good market for his produce poses a big challenge considering the remote location of his farm.
Even with the positive result, Armando had enough reason to believe that the cooperative can still do a lot more in helping their members.
True enough, in 2015, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) brought the Farm Business School (FBS) to the cooperative and made them the pilot recipient of the program in the province. Farm Business School, aims to develop and strengthen the skills of farmers to produce more profitably for the market. It is an avenue for the farmers to carry out collective and collaborative enquiry to address business and marketing problems and opportunities.
The farmers undergo 25 sessions for four months and provide farmers some learning experience about business and market trends in their own local environment through the learning-by-doing approach.
With the help of FBS, the members became more equipped and established. It has increased yield way higher than the previous harvest.
The concept of FBS in consolidating the vegetables out from farmers help a lot in establishing a concrete and stable income.
Through the techniques introduced by FBS, Armando has increased to P30,000.00 minimum income in a week from the usual P20,000.00 or a considerable P120,000 monthly net income.
In 2017, Armando became the Chairman of the CROBEVP MPC (Crossing Luna Beawan Vegetable Producers Multi-Purpose Cooperative). His potentials coupled with hard work has earned the trust of his fellows.
As chairman, he always take the lead to make the cooperative become competitive in the local market. He manage to visit and encourage members to actively cooperate and improve their income.
Today, Armado had invested yet another farm (a rice land) a decent house, motorcycles as well as farm animals like cows and carabao out from his income in vegetable farming. To top it all, he was able to send his children to school and provide better quality of life, just like what he dreamed of all his life.
“I am forever grateful with DAR for the assistance and inputs being introduced by FBS to us. Our knowledge on farming has been polished since then”. He said.
Truly, Armando has found treasures in vegetables.
-Rechel Besonia, PIO Agusan Del Norte
