First Week Report on the Mabuhay Agritech Mission Project in Iloilo, Philippines

August 26, 2023

To:          Mike Stanley, Missions Committee, Westminster Presbyterian Church

From:    Zonia Velasco, Mabuhay Fellowship, Mabuhay Agritech Mission in Iloilo, Philippines

Enrollment for the program started on Friday, August 18, 2023.  We had 13 participants present.

Orientation, overview of the program and a pre-test was given to assess farming knowledge to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses, so that the program could address these areas of deficiency in the future. The age ranges are from 15 to 42 years, and educational levels are from graduating high school for the older trainees, and still undergoing high school for the youngest one.  Those who are attending school will have make up classes after school hours and receive personal tutelage to catch up. Lectures will be in printed form also and given to the students.  They will also be provided with notebooks and pens.  

They will be attending 6 days a week from 8am to 6 pm, with a rest period of 2 hours between 12-2pm for lunch and siesta, and they will have breaks in the morning and afternoon for snacks also.   The 12-2 rest period is necessary as it is very hot during midday, with temperatures going up to the high 30’s and low 40’s with high humidity.  The program will provide their food, and they will be cooking their own lunch daily.  Rice and water will be provided onsite, and other market and grocery items like fish and meat for cooking will be bought daily.  Some vegetables are already available on the farm and ready for them to pick and use. There is no refrigeration in the farm, and the farm is too far from their homes and stores for them to go home to have lunch.  This is also an indigent group with none to minimal family income.  There is most probably also no food at home.  Their 6 days a week is voluntary on their part as once they start planting, they must tend to their plots daily, and they are assured of a meal for that day.

Formal training will start on Monday, August 28, 2023, to allow the students to enroll in their schools this week.  It is school enrollment time in the Philippines right now.  

The weekly schedule of training will be lectures in the morning for the first 2 weeks, and field work in the afternoon.  They will be assigned vegetable plots and will have to grow three kinds of vegetables: those that grow above ground, root crops, vine crops.  They will also plant companion flowers and herbs to help control insect and pests in the farm like marigolds, citronella, tanglad, etc. They will be divided into teams and each team will plant at least 12 fruit trees. They will learn about the soil, how to test it for acidity or alkalinity, amend them to make their soil productive.  They will learn how to make cocopeat and charcoaled rice hull to add to their soil amendments.  They will learn composting, vermicomposting and learn how to tend to the vermicompost production in the farm.  They will also learn about organic and inorganic fertilizers.  They will make their own natural fertilizers, natural pesticides, from trees and other materials available on the farm.  They will make their own neem and madre de cacao sprays to use in the farm as needed. They will be able to identify and treat pests and fungi. They will learn basic grafting and marcotting techniques.   They will learn permaculture as the farm is sloping downhill in many areas.  They will learn how to make and dig their own water reservoir areas as a water source for watering their plants in areas that are uphill and too far from the well.  They will also plant pollinator plots of flowers, and dig a lotus pond to host dragonflies, salamanders and frogs that will help get rid of pests.   

They will do all of these in only 12 weeks (three months), and they should be able to graduate in mid-November.  Harvest should coincide with their graduation, as it takes vegetables 3 months from planting to fruiting and harvest.  They will be tested and retested within the 12 weeks, and their overall productivity will be assessed by graduation.  We will give cash awards for the best group.  Our funds will be used to supply materials, tools, pails, sprayers, pots, jars and containers for fermentation and storage of their organic plant fertilizers and pesticides, additional germination sheds, tarps, seeds, seedlings, and saplings for their project, trainers, etc.  Upon graduation, they will be able to start their own gardens in their own home gardens, to provide food for their own families, for the community, or sell them to the market providing additional income to their family.

Our funds had been forwarded as follows:

August 22, 2023 Wire transfer through Wells Fargo:  $3,262.00

August 24, 2023  through Remitly: $300.00

August 26, 2023  through Remitly: $1,500.00

Total:  $5,062.00  (extra $62 from a Mabuhay member donation)

Thank you for the support,

Sgd.  Zonia Velasco

Mabuhay Project and Mission Director