Edgar Moreno, a Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan (KSK) farmer-graduate in Antipolo, shared ecstatically during a kumustahan session how his produce doubled after applying what he learned during the 12-week farmers’ training program of SM Foundation.
According to Moreno, he was getting only a few kilos from his vegetable farm in Boso-Boso, Antipolo before he trained formally under the SM Foundation’s KSK program in 2016.
Through this social good initiative, he was able to learn new farming technologies and proper agricultural processes such as the proper land preparation, effective way of using organic fertilizers and pesticides, and proper seed propagation and dispersal.
Through hard work and adhering to the modern farming technologies he learned from the KSK training, he was able to increase his agricultural produce to several tons.
Moreno sold his yield through “biyaheros” to nearby Rizal towns and to the local talipapa. Currently, he earns about P50,000 from 45 days of growing vegetables – a big leap from his previous income.
“Malaki po ang naging tulong ng KSK sa akin dahil naidetalye nito ang talagang pangangailangan sa pagsasaka. Noon kung ano lang ang nakagawian sa pagtatanim, yun lang ang ginagawa namin,” he shared.
Moreno also mentioned that he shares what he learned from KSK with other farmers, “Noong nakita ng mga kapwa ko magsasaka na epektibo ang pamamaraan ko sa pagsasaka, sinimulan na rin nila itong aralin. Masaya ako na naibahagi ko sa kanila ang aking mga natutunan.”
He grows leafy vegetables like pechay, mustasa, kangkong from November to May and he plants upo, ampalaya and hot pepper from June to October. He said this crop rotation is ideal for his location since local weather conditions affect all components of crop production.
The 2-hectare farm he tills belongs to two kind landowners who allowed him to farm on the land without charging him for rent, in exchange for the proper maintenance of the property.
In return, Edgar makes sure that whenever the landowners visit, they leave with bags full of vegetables from the farm. Of course, he still dreams of having his own land in the future.
“Ako po ay nagpapasalamat din sa mga taong nagpagamit ng kanilang lupa para sa aking pagsasaka. Sana mapalawig ko pa ang aking ani para kinalaunan, makabili din ako ng sarili kong lupa at mas marami pa ang aking matulungan sa pagbabahagi ko ng aking mga natutunan mula sa training ng SM,” said Edgar.