Italian government honoree’s farm maintains organic practices

Ernest Escaler, who is the first Filipino to receive the Order of the Star of Italy from the Italian government, is also a pioneer in organic farming in the Philippines.

Gourmet Farms that started as a hobby, has turned into a commercial enterprise that has provided livelihood to surrounding communities and given healthy alternatives to consumers.

Coffee farm

The coffee farm is located in Benguet where the trees can grow at higher elevation. Robusta can be grown around 500 meters above sea level while Arabica should at least be 1,000 meters above sea level.

Temperatures of around 15 to 24 degrees Celsius also need to be maintained for planting coffee. The trees are rain-fed and thus depend on good weather patterns.

Lettuce, vegetable farm

On the other hand, the lettuce and vegetable farm is located in Silang, Cavite, where a country store and restaurant called The Dining Room can be visited by locals and tourists.

They offer an ala carte menu and a salad bar is available daily. Gourmet Farms grocery products include their fresh produce, lettuce chips, bottled pasta sauces, herbal teas and coffee.

At the center of the Cavite farm lies a small chapel and a place for solitude and rest known as St. Joseph’s Sanctuary. The saint, who is reputed as a silent worker, is said to be a model and inspiration at the farm.

There are 10 rooms with two single beds and a conference facility that can seat 20. Proposals for events are evaluated based on the criterion of maintaining silence, among other things.

Organic farming

According to Escaler and Co. Inc. vice president Len Reyes , Gourmet Farms started in the mid-1980s as a coffee export company trading around 150,000 metric tons.

As other countries like Vietnam and Brazil started producing more coffee for the world market, international coffee commodity market prices went down. This led to a decline in Philippine exports. The company has ceased to export.

By 2009, Gourmet Farms started producing their own coffee using organic practices. Last year, the farm produced approximately 60 metric tons. It also imported around 60 metric tons and bought about 80 metric tons from other farmers.

Farming techniques

The farm does not utilize synthetic fertilizers. They have a vermicomposting facility where earthworms are utilized to produce compost. Vermicomposting involves feeding earthworms leftover biodegradable food waste such as vegetable trimmings. The worm manure that is excreted is a very good source of organic fertilizer that is used to nourish the soil.

A natural pest control method involves intercropping of vegetables. This simply involves planting different types of crops beside each other. The practice helps increase production yield and limit the outbreak of crop pests through biodiversity.

The farm also plants an abundance of dancing lady orchids that distract pests away from the produce. It is worthy to note that Gourmet Farms had its beginnings as an orchid farm.

Effects of climate change

According to Reyes, the effects of climate change can already be felt at the coffee farm. “Yields are definitely lower over the past five years. If there is no rain and temperature is higher, the coffee borers (insects) are more,” he says.

In order to mitigate higher temperatures at the farm, more trees are planted in between the coffee trees so that there will be more shade that lowers the temperatures. Reyes mentions that Arabica is a variety that can be shade grown.

Coffee production

Reyes details that it takes three years to grow coffee trees. And in order to maintain production yields, coffee trees need to be rejuvenated after 10 years. This involves cutting old trees up to 1 foot height to allow for regrowth. It is a problem because not all farmers practice it and yields are affected.

“It is going down,” concludes Reyes on the state of Philippine coffee production. “The coffee industry needs the private sector in order to survive.”

In other countries, the government is also involved in supporting its coffee farmers. According to Reyes, similar programs have yet to be established in the Philippines.