I am a Farmer

                It was a hot summer day. The scorching weather condition makes the house turn into an instant “oven”. The unbearable heat almost burns my skin inside. Hot air is blown by the fan making it more useless. I was in Nueva Ecija then. I was working in a government agency concerning agriculture. Prior to my assignment here, I was managing my family’s farm. Though the two works are both engaged in agriculture, the functions are entirely different.

                At the age of 19, I took over the managing of our farm. As manager, I was engaged in the decision-making, planning, and directing not only the production but also in the marketing of our produce, which was flowers. As early as 5 in the morning, before the rooster’s crow, I was already in the farm. During the peak of harvest, I, together with my mother, lead the harvesting operation so as to have an immediate product to be marketed at the later part of the day. 30 minutes to one hour, or brothers/sisters will join me in the harvest. It takes us 3 hrs to complete harvesting the 600-m2 sampaguita farm. By 8 am, sunlight becomes a challenge to finish or not the operation. It would be continued at the less heat-intense period of the day, e.i. 4-5 pm. However, it’s not

Figure 1.0 Harvesting of sampaguita flower

Figure 2.0 Newly harvested sampaguita flowers

Figure 3.0 Freshly sewn sampaguita garland (especially made for graduation ceremonies) ready for    

                 marketing

Figure 4.0 Manual sewing of sampaguita garland

Figure 5.0 Termed as “ordinary”, this is the most common available form of sewn garland in the market year-

                 round

Figure 6.0 My dearest mother, Ana, sipping coffee to revitalize her body from exhausting field harvesting

Figure 7.0 There are still lots of sampaguita flowers to be harvested

Figure 8.0 My sister, Mary Joy and Mary Ann, enjoyable picking up the flowers

Figure 9.0 A close-up view of the sampaguita buds

Figure 10.0 Inside the greenhouse of sampaguita plants

Figure 11.0 Violet strellita is used to complement the sampaguita garland

Figure 12.0 Peak season harvest of sampaguita when it was not yet covered in greenhouse

the case always. Harvesting may be extended until 10 in the morning and restart harvesting at 2 pm. imagine the temperature of that part of the day! In fact, it’s the time the state-run weather station discourages the public to stay under the sun’s light.

                On my elementary days, summer is the peak season of sampaguita flowering. We used to harvest at my aunt’s farm. I can still remember when my mother would tell me to take a nap in the afternoon (which I always defy). Instead, after lunch, I would sneak and walk the 1-km distance from our house to my aunt’s farm. The farm is located along the rice farm. There would be no shades except to the occasional large clouds that cover the sun. I could bear the heat without even replenishing the lost water. After one or two hours, I would go home.

                My mother would call me then, “Sandy! How many times would I tell you not to go in the farm in this time of the day?”

                I would just smile as a response.

Back in Nueva Ecija. It saddens me remembering those memoirs. If was only at home, I might not be on an “oven” right now. I am suffering from this harsh weather not on-farm but at this heavily insulated house.  I am a farmer...and I need to go back to my farm.

Typhoon Chedeng Threats Agriculture

Local radio stations here in Tabaco City Albay broadcast that Typhoon Chedeng is about to hit the region at around 10:00 in the evening. The province has yet recovered from Typhoon Bebeng which "visited" around two weeks ago. I can still remember I was in Tiwi Albay the morning Bebeng came. At around 5 am in the morning, before leaving home(in Tabaco) I thought it would be sunny that day. I was wrong. Four hours later, the Bebeng was felt already to large areas of Albay. The typhoon lasted 12 hours. Most of our bananas were damaged, trees were toppled, roofs were blown, electrical wiring sagged, debris were all around. The impact of which were greatly to the field of agriculture. The month of May is rice harvesting season and I was so saddened to see rice paddy kissing the rice field. What a waste! Had the typhoon did not occur, these rice were harvested.A day before the Typhoon came, we had our sampguita  production at an average of 2000 pieces per day. After the storm, we had lost 3/4 of our harvest. Saklap anu?

Here are some of the glimpse of the wrath of typhoon Bebeng in Albay. (Hopefully typhoon Chedeng won't come, she has no more to damage..:-)..Bebeng had taken all.

Bananas were severely damaged  as rain and strong winds hit the shrubs. Too bad. 

This was what the sampaguita plants looked like after the typhoon.  Flower buds were blown leaving only few resilient buds in the branches.

Swept. This photo was taken at the height of Typhoon Bebeng. Evidently, even trees cannot hold on to there roots. 

Sampaguita buds in there non-bloom stages. This photo was taken before typhoon. Buds were in good sizes, no red petals, , and were in three's to fives in every panicle. Too bad again, these were lost in just few hours.

Resistant? No it was not. This banana surrendered to the force of nature.

Damaged peanut plants. There is this old saying that lowly organisms won't be hit dramatically by typhoons. But this lowly plants were not spared.

45 degree banana. This banana plant soon was conquered falling into the sampaguita plants. consequence was, sampaguita branches were broken and severely damaged.

Coconut Swaying in the winds. This trees looked as if dancing in the rythm of the winds. Luckily,non of these trees were uprooted. 

Sampaguita Farming: A New Wave in Flower Industry

Samapguita (Jasminum sambac) is one of the agricultural businesses in Tabaco City Albay. Farmers of this flower earn a well enough living to support a family. Dubbed as the Philippines' National Flower, sampaguita is one of the most in-demand flowers in the market. It is characterized of small flowers that stay close in the morning and blooms at night. A truly majestic type of flower, its life is short, usually last only for a day. With the onset of technological advancement, sampaguita can now last for 2-3 days by freezing the flowers in a cold storage.