No age, neither downpour nor scorching heat of the sun could hinder the 64-year-old Jose Palmon Sr. in producing organically-grown vegetables for the consumption of the community.

Simply starting as a mere encouragement and better yet, became his passion, such endeavor had earned him support from various agencies. Among of which is from the Department of Agriculture, Western Visayas (DA-WV).

“The DA and Local Government Unit (LGU) assisted me to market my organic produce despite my age and the threats brought about by the pandemic,” said the organic practitioner from Barangay Tinio-an, Cabatuan, Iloilo.

Fondly called by anyone close to him as “Manong Jose,” he started to practice organic farming in 2014 as convinced by his friends who are senior members of the traditional organic farmers in their barangay. He then embraced the idea of not using chemicals in his vegetable garden.

The  agricultural practices he learned such as the use of concoctions to eliminate insects, pest and diseases, and fish amino acid for plant growth as well as vermicomposting, are evidently done by Manong Jose in his farm.

His 2,000-square meter vegetable garden is now producing more than twenty various organic vegetables like pechay, mustasa, cucumber, ampalaya, sitao, okra, squash, and eggplant, among others.

“I see to it that I wake up at 6:00 in the morning to prepare my concoctions and plant-based extracts in a drum that I use to water my garden. I followed the trainings that I have learned from the DA,” he stressed. “I have also undergone other trainings where I’ve learned about pest management and good agricultural practices. I willingly share all of those among the members of our association,” he added.

As a member of the Cabatuan Organic Farmer Practitioner Association (COFPA), Manong Jose was grateful that interventions from the DA-Organic Agriculture Program directly goes to the farmer beneficiaries of their association.

Before the covid-19 pandemic, he was able to harvest almost 30 kilograms of lettuce and pechay from his vegetable garden that even sold in the local mall vegetable section. However, when the pandemic had hit the country where various constraints and restrictions were imposed, Manong Jose started to lose his faith in increasing his farm produce as all these can be hardly sold.  Even the 20 kilograms of his lettuce produced can’t be marketed or disposed in a week’s time.

The supply of other vegetables like bitter gourd is more than what the consumers need. It is when he felt that marketing his vegetable products is definitely going blurry. “Ngayon na may pandemya nagtanim ako ng ampalaya at pipino at nakapagharvest ako ng sobra sa 60 kilos. Malaki ang naging problema ko dahil hindi ito naubos ng mga konsumidor sa aming bayan. Walang pumunta at bumili dahil sa takot nila sa COVID-19. Malaki ang nalugi ko,” Manong Jose mentioned.

The struggles brought about by the pandemic made him realize that it is high time to organize as association of organic pracitioners in their community. Their produce were market linked to the institutional buyers with the help of the DA and of Cabatuan LGU.

Through this, buyers from the city came to purchase their produce especially the lettuce. These were even brought to the local markets and city malls for delivery.

Cabatuan LGU initiated the “Tienda sa Palengke” wherein kiosk were provided to showcase their organically produce vegetables to buyers from the nearby towns. The COFPA was able to benefit from this marketing strategy.

Manong Jose also said that the DA is highly applauded in their community because of the interventions given to them. COFPA is one of the beneficiaries of its water irrigation system, vegetable seeds, seedlings, and other farm tools.

“We are very lucky that the Municipal Organic Agriculture Program (MOAP) focal person Mrs. Precentation Continente, always give us seeds to plant as well as the DA who imparted the knowledge and skills in making concoctions. The  technology in vermicomposting that was taught during the trainings held at Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC),was valuable indeed” added Mr. Palmon.

“Agricultural activities never cease no matter what happens to the world. Even life and health is at stake in this pandemic, we continue to plant, plant, plant. We must go on despite the chances that our vegetables would wilt or go to waste without proper storage and with the risk of low demand from the consumers,” he emphasized.

Manong Jose is considered as one of the farmer heroes in agriculture in these challenging times. He innovates as an organic practitioner, shares his produce to their community, imparts knowledge and skills to his farmer members, produces more to sell in kiosk and town plazas, and he never fails to put food on the table to feed every Filipino family.

Meanwhile, the COFPA has a selling schedule every Wednesday and Sunday in their Municipal Town Center wherein kiosk were set by the LGU to be used for their display of freshly-harvested fruits and vegetable with free rental.

Consumers who has health problems and commorbities flock in their kiosk to avail chemical-free farm produce while observing maximum health protocols such as practicing social distancing, wearing of mask, and proper disinfection.

Thus, a win-win situation is depicted in this set up wherein farmers will no longer have to travel long distance in order to sell their produce while consumers can easily avail the fresh products right away.

Considered as a hero during these difficult times, Manong Jose Palmon Sr. is surely a hero to his family as well. His hardwork and dedication has sprung countless branches of opportunities to uplift their lives. His farming income was able to sustain the education of his children. Indeed, Manong Jose is a farmer hero, an asset to the community, to the local government unit, to COFPA and to his family and is undoubtedly worthy of emulation. #(JNCapaciete & AGPadilla/DA-RAFIS 6) Photos: JDeGuzman