CLIMATE RESILIENCE
FARMING SMARTER, NOT HARDER
BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES
Photo: Esperanza Doronila
You may find your ideas about food change after getting closer to the source and trying your hand at farming. Learning about the effort and challenges of growing abundant produce at the MoCA Family Farm in Batangas, Philippines, gives you a new perspective and puts more value in every bit of produce at your local grocer.
What's
changing
Food grown locally packs more nutrients, has a lower carbon footprint and keeps money within a community. Sustainable agritourism experiences can bring these benefits to life by showcasing better ways to feed communities and inspire visitors to take a deeper interest in how their food is grown.
What's already
possible
MoCA Family Farm, a small-scale sustainable farm in the Philippines, is demonstrating how even small plots of land can support an abundance of diverse crops. They share their knowledge with visitors at an on-site learning center.
Seizing
the opportunity
Located in the rural town of Padre Garcia, Batangas, MoCA Family Farm spans a single hectare (2.5 acres), yet the family’s sustainable farming techniques are robust enough to sustain them entirely from the crops they grow. To share their knowledge from years of experimenting with native plants and innovative methods, they opened a learning center to offer agricultural education programs that champion sustainable farming. They wish to provide other farmers with a blueprint for sustainable farming and provide services that help small farms get started in agritourism. MoCA Family Farm’s in-house test kitchen further serves as a hub for developing new ideas for food and agri-products, driving innovation in sustainable small-scale farming.
Standout
tactic
When tourism shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farm owner Gigi Morris and her husband turned their focus to less common root vegetables, experimenting with varieties known for their long shelf life. Today, their farm is skilled in growing cassava, camote and yams — crops that can be grown locally and help sustain communities when food supply chains are disrupted.
How
it helps
This farm models sustainable farming practices while also dedicating resources to teaching other farmers and visitors about how to grow food in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Diving
deeper
How can farms like this further improve their agricultural practices and go from sustainable to regenerative?
Increasing
impact
Farms could expand their community impact by extending their in-house test kitchens into commercial incubator spaces for local entrepreneurs.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
