February 25, 2025 l Manila Bulletin
The 8th Philippine International Farm Tourism Conference kicked off on Feb. 24 and wraps up tomorrow, Feb. 26th, at the KCC Mall General Santos City. The theme, “Stimulating Sustainable Economic Growth in Rural Communities through Farm Tourism,” drew around 500 participants, including local and international farm leaders, startups, aspiring farmers, advocates, and enthusiasts. The event is sponsored by the International Sustainable School of Tourism (ISST), led by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, alongside the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, Philexport, and others.
The conference boasted a lineup of interesting and relevant topics and speakers, including: Diversified Agriculture and Sustainable Farm Tourism Models (Rex Puentespina of Malagos Farm); Integrated Farming (Michael Caballes of Bukid Amara); Fruits for All Seasons; Tourism and Livestock; Peace and Trust in the Communities; Aquaculture; and Innovations and Technology Adoption for Increasing Farm Productivity and Sustainability.
I was privileged to speak on “The Secret is in the Soil” under the session “Enhancing the Land for Food Security at Home.” Other speakers included Capt. James Reamon of Felicidad Orchard (my vermiculture mentor from years ago), Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, Deputy Director for Programs of Malaysia, and Dr. Fernando Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Horticulture at the University of the Philippines.
Want healthy, lush plants and a fruitful, productive farm? About 95 percent of our food, directly or indirectly, comes from the soil. The soil is the top layer of the earth’s surface where plants grow—it’s like the “skin of the earth.” Did you know the soil is alive, teeming with billions of microorganisms? Yes, there’s a world beneath our feet! The soil supports plant growth by absorbing, retaining, and releasing water and nutrients. The topsoil, only a few inches deep, contains humus, organic matter (decayed plants and animals). However, years of plowing, tilling, slash-and-burn agriculture, livestock overgrazing, and even synthetic fertilizers have severely damaged the topsoil. Soil no longer provides the same nutrients it did decades ago; now, supplementing our diets with vitamins is often recommended.
Do you feed the soil or the plants? Feed the soil, and you get healthy plants! How do you rebuild soil health, supercharge, or regenerate your soil? Here are some organic matter additions to enrich it:
- Leaf Mold: A revolutionary soil amendment. Pile up leaves, chop them into pieces for faster decomposition, put them in large plastic bags (punch holes for air), and keep them moist. Don’t worry about mold; after six months to a year, the finished product will resemble rich soil.
- Composting: Enriches soil and reduces waste (kitchen and yard waste—vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, leaves, grass). It adds organic matter with slow-release nutrients, considered the garden’s “black gold.”
- Mulching: Like a “blanket for the soil,” adding 2-4 inches of dried leaves or wood chips preserves soil quality, retains moisture, and moderates temperature. It acts as a slow-release fertilizer as it decomposes.
- Cover Cropping or “Green Manure”: Protects the soil from the elements, acts as “natural mulch,” suppresses weeds, and prevents erosion. Grow a nitrogen-fixing plant like mung beans, cut it before flowering, and incorporate the chopped plant into the soil. It’s like a “revitalizing spa treatment” for the soil.
- Well-Rotted Manure: Manure from livestock like chickens, pigs, cows, goats, and rabbits enhances the organic matter in the soil.
In addition, natural farming technology nurtures soil microorganisms through concoctions like fermented plant juice, fermented fruit juice, and bone and eggshell fermentation, applied according to plant growth stages.
Did you know soil is also a potential ally against climate change? Carbon in the air is harmful, but plants, through photosynthesis, can sequester carbon, and soil microbes can retain it in the ground, which is beneficial.
The soil is amazing! Healthy soil grows healthy food and leads to healthy people. It can even be the answer to climate change. Let’s save the soil and not treat it like dirt, thus saving ourselves and the planet.
The Farm Tourism conference certainly achieved its objective of raising awareness about the benefits of farming with tourism, sharing best practices, networking, and exchanging ideas with like-minded people. Farm Tourism is in!
***The views expressed herein are her own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of her office as well as FINEX. For comments, email ftarriela@yahoo.com. Photo is from Pinterest.