Backyard Agriculture in the Mountains

People say that Filipinos are a truly remarkable people-resilient and ingenious in tough times. On the foot of Mt. Kanla-on facing Bago City in Negros Occidental, the children of a deceased patriarch who failed to secure a land for them are trying to make a living through backyard agriculture.

Going up to about 2,500 feet above sea level, the roads from La Carlota City and Bago City lead up to Sitio Guintubdan, Brgy. Ara-al, Bago City. This is the summer capital of Negros, with its cool weather even during summer season. The icy cold spring water is free flowing and abundant, so a visit here is just a refreshing experience.

The roads stop at the Bago City-owned government property that is now called Rafael Salas Park and Nature Center. The place offers humble lodging, cottages for daytime picnics, and even a campsite for those who prefer to rough it out and put up their tents.

But one thing that looks out of place in the area is the presence of several homes within the vicinity of the park. Going around, we learned that these people are sort of "squatting" in the area and they make a living by selling ornamental plants and cutflowers that grow abundantly in this mountainous place with cold weather.

One such family is that of Aniolina Beriales Posidario. She related that her parents and grandparents had been living in this area for a long time already. However, her father, despite repeated attempts, was not able to secure the land's title for his family. The land was later given to the Bago City government and was transformed into a nature park for the city's tourism efforts.

However, Aniolina and her brothers and sisters remained in the area. Her husband works for the city government while some of her relatives are either workers in the city hall or are taking care of the park.

Aniolina stays at home and tends her garden. She sells different kinds of ornamental plants and gets a direct market from among the visitors at the nature center. She is also cultivating the orange and red anthuriums that she sells either as potted plants or as cutflower. Potted anthuriums range from P25 for plantlets to P350 for big flowering plants. Flowers are available between P150 to P180 per dozen depending on the size. The anthuriums are planted on black polybags because they are cheaper and lightweight. Aniolina uses coconut husks as potting medium. She just fits the cut up husks into the plastic bag and doesn't add anything else except for stones to weigh down the bag. They pick up the husks at a nearby coconut farm so their potting medium is already free. But one good thing about keeping their plants is that they get regular rainfall and at the same time, they get free water from the mountain springs above them.

Among Aniolina's other bestsellers are the Birds of Paradise (P5 per flower or P10 per plantlet), torch (P10 per flower or P20 per plantlet) and ground orchids. She also has a plantation of hydrangea (million flowers) whose flowers are also being sold as cutflowers. Aside from the visitors to the park, Aniolina also has regular customers from Bago City and La Carlota City who seek her flowers. Although there are days that Aniolina doesn't have sales on her plants, on a good day she can sell from P500 up to P1,200.

While Aniolina is not taking care of her plants, she's feeding and cleaning the pens of her four sows. She has a mini-piggery that further adds to the family's household income. Aniolina recalls that seven years ago, she started with just one sow. Eventually, she grew the other sows from her production. Since then, she has been selling an average low of 80 piglets per year at P1,500 each. They haven't gone into fattening though, because she says it is so expensive. But the P120,000 a year additional family income is already good enough.

Aniolina's husband helps out in their ventures when he is not working for the city government, but he also keeps about 20 corded fighting cocks in their backyard that he also sells on occasion.

From all their household income, the Posidario family has already built a concrete house and is sending their three kids to school. Their eldest has already graduated from college in Bacolod City while the second daughter is already a college sophomore in La Carlota City. The youngest is still in high school. Their family's needs are also well taken care of.

The Posidario couple is not educated in farming, but their family's growing needs has pushed them to engaged in cultivating plants and taking care of livestock. But the odds are on their favor and they have successfully run their backyard operations for several years now with intentions of expanding their plant and piggery business when additional capital is available.