Food security can be simple

One garden at a time, one farm at a time, we can definitely encourage consumers to become producers of their own food. This is the big hairy audacious, albeit simple, goal of Carlomagno Aguilar, a self-taught agriculture educator who has been farming for the last 15 years. Experience is indeed a very good teacher, as Carlo had a simple dream: let everyone have access to food. And that dream is slowly coming to fruition as Carlo teaches landowners what to plant and trains institutions like hotels, resorts and restaurants to grow their own vegetable needs.

Carlo laments the fact that about 30 percent of food produced really goes to waste because of overproduction in the wrong area, misreading of market demands and logistical issues that contribute to perishability of vegetables. It sometimes takes days to bring vegetables from Baguio to Palawan, for example. Tomatoes are shipped while green and unripe because the journey will be so long, the tomatoes would turn red by the time they get to their destination! Not exactly how tomatoes should be harvested, because if it were to be used closest to point of use, it can be harvested at the peak of ripeness or what they call vine-ripened.

But Carlo believes there must be a change in the consumer mindset of how food is grown. For example, a little insect hole here and there in a leafy vegetable like pechay should be acceptable to consumers, so farmers will continue to grow them organically without need for pesticides. But for as long as consumers want perfect vegetables, farmers will have to turn to chemicals and repellants to keep the produce as pristine as possible. Or they have to be grown in greenhouses powered by sprinkler systems and in enclosed environments which add to the cost of production. If consumers agree to take what Nature provides, then producers will be more profitable and there will be less food waste.

Next is to change mindsets or slowly make farmers understand that a farm is a business and like any business, it has to be market-driven. Farmers must understand demand or, in simple terms, what the market wants. First is household demand, next is local demand (their neighbors and townmates’ needs) before they even produce more for the depots or bagsakan, lest they become victims of price drops when oversupply happens.

It may take time for producers to accept the reality that a farm is an enterprise which follows business rules: supply must meet demand. Oversupply results in price drops almost to the point of throwing away excess production. Undersupply and niche marketing of special local needs means business stability and sustainability. All these is easier said than done because farmers go with the bandwagon mentality – what one’s neighbor plants must be what’s in demand.

I remember when I was first growing arugula in our little farm. Our neighbors were curious why we were planting something that looked different from other varieties like lettuce. I was growing it because it was my favorite salad vegetable and imported arugula then was P900/kilo at specialty stores. When I started growing it, we could sell for P300/kilo or less. I got my supply free of charge, of course, save for cost of seeds.

For Carlo, he started his business growing hot peppers in Pampanga, to supply restaurants cooking sisig, a popular delicacy that used hot peppers. He first limited his sales to his locality, promoting localization from the consumers’ point of view. He had a sure market and never had to suffer oversupply. He also could dictate his price as his buyers were happy with the freshness and the reliable supply he provided.

Why does he teach others who could become his competitors? Carlo believes everyone can learn how to grow vegetables and fruits. He was also mentored by the late Roland Costales, who did not mind sharing his knowledge because, he says, “everything actually comes from above and if you share, you will be rewarded a hundred-fold.” So Carlo has followed his mentor’s ways and is also sharing what he knows and what he has learned from almost 15 years of experience in farming.

What impresses me about Carlo is that he knows the markets and has been looking for landowners who have land but do not know where to start. He is young and has the energy to go around the country to teach other new entrants into farming. He will impress you with his fingertip knowledge of who needs hundreds of kilos of ampalaya, papaya and other ‘easy to grow’ local vegetables.

He also believes we must plant more vegetables to feed our household first, before selling to others. The high value crops like lettuce may be priced higher but if you cannot eat your produce or have a restaurant that serves salads all day, they are highly perishable.

Carlo and I reminisced about having a backyard with a calamansi tree, a malunggay (Moringa oleifera) tree and for me, we had kamias and peppers, tomatoes in the summer and fresh coconut in our backyard. No wonder my mother always cooked with what we had around the garden. Those times are long gone because we started living in condominiums. But wait, Carlo has a plant tower if you have limited space in a condo. There is no excuse anymore for not growing our own food and being food secure.

As for me, I started planting lagikway, a perennial shrub that grows from cuttings which I got from UP Open University’s permaculture garden last year. Its leaves cook like camote tops or swamp cabbage (kangkong) and goes well in soups like sinigang.

Food security indeed must start at home. If we can secure our food supply from our backyard, our patio and eventually our school and church gardens, there is no reason to be hungry or food insecure. But we need to respect localization, locavorism and local vegetables.

Kudos to teachers like Carlo, may your tribe increase for our food security.