With all the skyscrapers being built all around us, we can also expect a higher demand in commodities within the metro. When there is a high demand but limited supply, we can then expect an increase in the prices of goods.

What we can ask ourselves at this point is why is it that there is a limited supply? When I go to the provinces, I see a lot of idle lands that are not being utilized. If we are going to utilize them for crop production, this will then increase the number of supply and there’s a possibility the prices of the commodities and goods will also decrease once they reach the city where the demand is high.

This is easier said than done though because there are a lot of factors that are preventing farmers from utilizing agricultural lands on a wider scale. These factors are what my siblings and I are currently addressing in our endeavor now.

Photo courtesy: Unsplash

Agribusiness Venture

My family’s engaged in palay and copra production for how many decades already, and yet there are a lot of things that we still don’t know about agriculture and farming.

So I searched through the web what I can learn about agribusiness and farming. I was able to dig out a lot of online resources, and I’m actually enrolled in these online courses now. One of them is DA’s e-learning portal and this is how it looks like:

This is what currently preoccupies me most of the time and probably the reason why God was firm in telling me I can’t have a full-time job at the moment. For a more comprehensive free online course, you can check this one out:

My family and I are currently in this season of gathering all the necessary information we need to make sure the project will push through. Our long-term goal is for the project to be sustainable enough and can be passed on from generation to generation.

It is the project’s mission to promote sustainable agriculture and support the local food movement. The following are the definitions lifted from Wikipedia:

Sustainable Agriculture

“Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.

It has been defined as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term”, for example to satisfy human food and fiber needs, to enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends, to make the most efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and integrate natural biological cycles and controls, to sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and to enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.^[4]

Key Principles

There are several key principles associated with sustainability in agriculture^[5]:

1. The incorporation of biological and ecological processes into agricultural and food production practices. For example, these processes could include nutrient cycling, soil regeneration, and nitrogen fixation.
2. Using decreased amounts of non-renewable and unsustainable inputs, particularly the ones that are environmentally harmful.
3. Using the expertise of farmers to both productively work the land as well as to promote the self-reliance and self-sufficiency of farmers.
4. Solving agricultural and natural resource problems through the cooperation and collaboration of people with different skills. The problems tackled include pest management and irrigation.”

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Local Food Movement

“Local food (local food movement or locavore) is a movement of people who prefer to eat foods which are grown or farmed relatively close to the places of sale and preparation.

Local food movements aim to connect food producers and food consumers in the same geographic region, in order to develop more self-reliant and resilient food networks; improve local economies; or to affect the health, environment, community, or society of a particular place.^[1] The term has also been extended to include not only the geographic location of supplier and consumer but can also be “defined in terms of social and supply chain characteristics.”^[2] For example, local food initiatives often promote sustainable and organic farming practices, although these are not explicitly related to the geographic proximity of producer and consumer.

Local food represents an alternative to the global food model, a model which often sees food traveling long distances before it reaches the consumer. A local food network involves relationships between food producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers in a particular place, where they work together to increase food security and ensure economic, ecological and social sustainability of a community.^[3]”

Aside from conducting our own research, the season demands we also look for mentors. As they say, if you are looking for mentors, seek for thought leaders who have been in the industry for a long time. And thank God for giving us the right ones at exactly the right time.

My brother, sister-in-law, and I are attending a “Farm For Profit” seminar by Semilya sa Kinabuhi founder, Sir Dodong Cacanando, tomorrow. Then next Saturday, I am attending an online seminar entitled “Money Machines: How To Create Passive And Active Income At The Same Time” by Bro. Bo Sanchez.

Ah yes, all I can say is that God has been so faithful to us during this season. He has prepared everything we needed at this point and I know He’ll be with us all the way. 🙂

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

I believe, too, that this is not just a plan that He reserved for me and my family alone. This might be the start of collective efforts among the body of Christ (every one of us) in addressing some of the social issues that we’re currently facing such as the recent price increase in commodities.

In this regard, I would like to encourage everyone reading this to consider venturing into the agribusiness sector. And I hope that you will also be able to get a lot of ideas and insights from the opportunities and what I have learned, which I will be sharing in my future blog posts (including our future failures, if there will be any). 🙂

Always Learning

What is constant in every season is that God always provides us with new opportunities to learn all about this new endeavor. When I graduated from college back in 2008, I was able to get a job as a communications assistant for the deaf and mute. Through this job, I learned all about the struggles that persons with disabilities (PWDs) face every day.

It was such an eye opener for me. So when I resigned in 2010, I had a new goal – learn more about how I can help alleviate the challenges of PWDs and hopefully put up my own foundation in the future for special children who can’t afford expensive therapies.

I took a master’s degree in Special Education that focuses on catering to the needs of children with disabilities. This season introduced me to the field of teaching but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish my master’s degree because God brought me to a new season yet again in 2015 – married life.

Before I quit my graduate studies, I used the teaching units I got from the classes I took to get my professional license. I do love teaching but after contemplating whether it is the career for me or not, I felt it in my heart to pursue my first love instead, which is writing.

I found an opportunity in the digital marketing industry. It was in 2017 when my writing career started. Everything was new to me, but I was eager to learn because I love what I am doing.

After a year, I have decided to let it go because God brought me to yet another season – focus on the family project which is the agribusiness.

God’s Plans

We really can’t see what God’s plans are and only God can tell. I have assumptions, but I can’t claim that these are God’s plans as well. What are my assumptions?

God gifted me with a talent in writing. From grade school until college, it was all a preparation. So, why take SpEd? It will satisfy some of the objectives of the family project which will include putting up a social enterprise that will teach young entrepreneurs and a foundation to help those in need (special children, orphans, etc.). The main objective of our project is for other people to benefit more.

As a licensed teacher, I can teach young students and it might not be in the area of my expertise which is English. But, it can be in the field of agriculture, farming, and entrepreneurship applying everything I will learn on our farm.

Why digital marketing? That is the trajectory of the future of businesses. Marketing using the traditional way can benefit a lot alongside digital marketing. The latter can boost the growth and development of a company not just in finance but in terms of creating partnerships and remaining competitive in the global market.

Writing plays a huge role when establishing the company’s online presence in the digital world. Businesses have to be at par with the rapidly evolving digital technology and storytelling is just one of the ways.

My brother’s comment before when it comes to my writing is this – you have such a flair for the dramatic. I told him that well, I was created to be a poet. 😉

My writing appeals to the emotions. This appeal is the reason why I love persuasive writing. I persuade my readers to know the Truth. But if they can’t find out what the Truth is after reading my posts, then I believe I haven’t persuaded them enough. 😀

Going back to God’s will and plans over my family’s endeavor, hubby and I were having thoughts to transfer homes back in 2017. We already have plans to start investing in our own home even if it is a small one. I shared it with my brother who then suggested we stay at my sister’s condo instead. He said that we can save more this way and get a house later on that is located in a place that we love.

We agreed that we will pay the association dues since my sister waived the rental fee (thank you so muchos, Ate Ayn!). At the same time, we will look out after the place for her since she and her husband live in Norway.

God’s Favors

I am extremely grateful for all of these because they were all favors from the Lord. Yes, my brother is right that this new season of us living in yet another new home will help us save a little. But we can do it even if I don’t have a full-time job. This means I can concentrate on learning all that I need to learn for our farm projects.

My other siblings don’t have the time to learn them all so it is my task to fill them in with all the info I can gather from my research. My other sister in the province will be my partner in applying what we have learned from the e-courses when I go back home. And yet our other siblings’ careers are important, too, in helping fund the project’s expenses.

My other sister and I have the time to learn so much but we don’t have well-paying careers and our other siblings have high-paying careers but they don’t have enough time. Combined together is now a perfect team to make the project work. I bet God is really the best project manager ever He knows the best persons to delegate certain tasks with. 😀

But then again, 5 heads are better than 1 or 2. So yes, I need all of my siblings’ wisdom in this endeavor. And I am glad I have their full support and cooperation. (Love you, my dear sibs!)

Put God First

With all the info overload I gathered from my research, I am estimating that it’ll take about more than a year to study all the business concepts when it comes to agriculture and farming. I am always seeking for God’s wisdom though on what to do with all the collated info.

As we all know, learning how to do something is actually very different from doing exactly what you learned a.k.a. theories vs. application. I realized we have a lot to learn in this endeavor and if we want our projects to be sustainable, we need to be equipped with the right business and farming concepts and be able to apply them well.

If you are to ask me why should we pursue this endeavor, it is because of this: how we build the world today is how we set the course of the future. That is, I don’t want the future generations to eat very pricey vegetables due to the high demand and low supply. Even if I don’t have kids, I still have high hopes that what we do now will impact the world later on for the better. That is, with God’s guidance as our “chiefest” CEO. 😉

To end this article, here’s a very inspiring message (the best commencement speech for me) from none other than one of the Academy Award-winning and most acclaimed actors, Denzel Washington:

P.S.

Please don’t blame me if ever you ventured into agribusiness and failed. 😀 Endeavors like this require consulting with God first and foremost because we all have our own God-given purposes.

Writing this postscript actually made me realize that pursuing the things that we don’t have can become only that – an endless pursuit. But if we pursue an endeavor by making good use of what God has already given us, we might actually find our purpose in and through them. 🙂

*Update as of 9/15/2018: “Farm for Profit” seminar was cancelled due to typhoon Ompong.