iluvfarmers needs more support!

We are writing this post on behalf of ILUVFARMERS campaign, a fundraising and awareness campaign spearheaded by the team of scholars under the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI). This campaign aims to promote the “Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan” project of the Mayor Teresa Alegado and the Municipality of Consolacion. It is being done in Brgy. Danglag, Consolacion which is a farmer empowerment program that aims to give 180 local farmers proper training in innovative fruit and vegetable production.

 To know more about it, you can visit our Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/iluvfarmers which currently has around 896 supporters. Updates on the project, our experience working with them and their life stories can be found there.

We, scholars of the YMA Program under RAFI, are tasked to gather support for the program as part of our internship under the RAFI’s leadership training. We are expected to gather 10,000 signatures of support or Php 10,000 in donation and 1000 Facebook Fans by October 26, 2011.

So far, we have gathered 1,261 signatures and Php 3,225.00 in donations. We still have a long way to go and we have until October 26, 2011 to finish. That is why we humbly seek your help in making a difference in the lives of our hardworking farmers. We are asking your school organization, community organization or workplace to sign the pledge to signify that you support the program. You may also place your donations in cash or kind as well.



Help today, promote this http://facebook.com/iluvfarmers to potential donors or donate cash or kind or sign the pledge of support. Just contact Lorbe, one of the Campaign Ambassadors thru this number: (+63)929-961-3737




iluvfarmers Campaign Ambassadors thank our donors! :)

THANK YOU TO:
Pingkian Family
Beverly Catadman
Rhecel Solon
Franco Canoy
Jet Villamor
Lorlee Catadman

also thanks to:
Claudine Estrellada
Kheydin Obaob
Kevin Codilla


As of October 16, 2011, the iluvfarmers campaign was able to gather Php 3, 225.00 for the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program in Cebu which will aid in providing the farmer trainees tools, seeds and seedlings, and fertilizers.

Help today, promote this http://facebook.com/iluvfarmers to potential donors or donate cash or kind. Just contact Lorbe, one of the Campaign Ambassadors thru this number: (+63)929-961-3737.

First Day of Working With the Farmers

Scholars of Team CPMPC of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. went to the farm demo site of the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Program of the Municipality of Consolacion. The training farm was located in Brgy. Danglag and going there was quite hard so they had to ride a service vehicle. There they saw farmers learn to prepare the hectares of land for farming under the scorching sun with barely any food and water throughout the day.

During the afternoon lecture. Resource Speaker and trainer is from Harbest Agriculture Corporation.

Farmers preparing the land. In farming one farmer said, land preparation takes the longest time.

A Nanay-farmer uprooting left out pieces of grass.

This hand tractor was introduced to the farmers by the Harbest Agriculture Corp. representative and trainer. He was good enough to make arrangements with the company to lend the tractor for awhile to the farmers. Now it's easier to farm.

Manong Florentino's Life Story of a Farmer

Here is another story of a farmer who has been farming since he was 7 years old. 

He is Manong Florentino Cosido, 71 years old, has 8 children and is already widowed. 

Like majority of our farmers he also has been a successor of his family’s traditional work.  He shared that when he was young they were already trained to work in the fields.

Surprisingly, now, no one from Manong Florentino’s children followed his footsteps, but sadly for Manong who wished for a successor.

Manong seeks enjoyment in farming especially that he lives alone now and visited by his children from time to time. It would make him truly happy if he can grow something that is why he never stopped farming.

To learn more, to update his knowledge about farming was his reason why he joined the training.
He specified that the earth is the most important factor in growing crops.

He laid eyes on the earth and farming at a very early age, he dedicates his life to it.

Read more on the 6 WAYS ON HOW YOU CAN HELP HER and other farmers!

http://iluvfarmers.blogspot.com/2011/09/6-ways-to-help-our-local-farmers.html

written by Lorbe Catadman

Dandy Ponce's Life Story of a Farmer

Dandy Ponce maybe is the eldest of his three siblings but he is the youngest among all the farmers who participated in the training. 

Dandy is a 16 year old boy who just graduated from high school. His father works in a mine and farms at the same time while his mother stays at home to take care of them. 

He expressed his want to really go to college but like many others he cannot proceed due to financial constraints. Her favorite subject is Math and his dream is to become an accountant. 

But he loves farming too so he also dreams to become an agriculturist. 

When asked if which of the two he would really go for, farming or to study, he quickly answered BOTH. 

It may require some big adjustments but he will try his best to do the two things that he truly loved doing.

Dandy considers himself a green thumb, he can grown many kinds of plant and vegetables. 

For him, farming isn’t hard as a livelihood, if one has capital, the knowledge and the physical abilities then all else will come along. At a young age he was already trained to farm. 

The major problems that he has encountered in farming is preparing the land which has to be treated with fertilizer and WATER. It appears that he has to fetch water from a really far source that is would take him 2 hours to get back. 

What he does to save time is he runs from their home which is situated in the mountainous part to the water source so the remaining time will be allotted to him bringing back the containers with water.

He joined the training because he wanted to learn everything about farming, the requirements to acquire a fertile soil, how to grow the vegetables and the seasons to grow them. He expects to learn a different way of farming. 

He said that this training is very valuable to him and will be to others especially if he can teach what he had learned to them. 

Read more on the 6 WAYS ON HOW YOU CAN HELP HIM and other farmers!

http://iluvfarmers.blogspot.com/2011/09/6-ways-to-help-our-local-farmers.html

written by Lorbe Catadman