Plotting the Future for BSU Strawberry Farms

Photo by Tripsiders

The Strawberry Farm’s crimson crop could lose its cream if potentials will not be given the attention it deserve.

The strawberry farm remains to be one of the main destination for tourists in La Trinidad Benguet where its farmers found an avenue to sell their crop. Local producers and farmers who uses the land provided by the Benguet State University (BSU) gained the opportunity to bring their harvests and other goods to the national market where tourists comprise the large portion as their consumers.

 “I came all the way from Cavite just to see the strawberries”, says Nica Torres one of the many tourists who visited the Strawberry Farm to see and buy fresh strawberries and experience first-hand picking from the strawberry patches. This crimson crop of the valley attracts people from different places and have introduce them to Benguet Province’s other attractions as an agri-destination.

The fact that the people themselves are the ones who get to pick the berries straight from their patches keeps people coming from different regions of the country to the Cordillera region. The Strawberry Farm reminds the locals and visitors that Baguio City is not the only source of vacation hotspots in the North. La Trinidad is just among other municipalities in Benguet that offers out of town experience to many travelers and visitors.

Grassroots’ Advocate

There are about 42 farmers who lease farms at the BSU Strawberry Farm.  According to Prof. Danilo P. Padua, former director of the BSU Business Affairs Office and Strawberry farming and production research expert, BSU’s priority is to lend the land to the farmers and allow them to develop their own area in the way they want.

BSU rents out the land to farmers at 15 pesos per square meters in a year. “We rent the land but we put up the stalls, and the farmers are in charge of maintaining and improving the land they rent (Nirerent lang namin yung lupa tapos kami na ang gagawa ng stall at yung sa mga farmer yung lupa nila na nirent ay bahala na sila mag ayus o gawin ang gusto nila.), according to Myrna Akilit, a stall owner at the Strawberry Farm for more than ten years now.

According to Dr. Jones Feliciano, Vice President for Business Affairs of Benguet State University in an interview, the main purpose of the Strawberry Farm is to serve as an income generating project (IGP) of BSU.

As cited on the official website of BSU the Strawberry Farm is included in one of the 21 income generating projects of the University that supplement the subsidy it receives from the General Appropriations Acts (GAA). The IGPS include Bakery, Food Processing Center, Souvenir and Gift Shop, Marketing Center, Multi-Vegetable Production, BSU Garments, RSDC Canteen, Strawberry Restaurant, the Gladiola Center, Agricultural Land Use, Commercial Space Use, Sariling Sikap Program, Strawberry Production Project, Guestels (HMEG), and SLS Canteen, among others.

One of the farmers located at the BSU ATIB-IC shared that the area where they are farming is under development. Farmers in located at the front entrance of the Strawberry farm undergoes training and research for improvement. “Kaming mga farmers ang mag-dedevelop ng farm namin. (We are farmers are the ones who would develop our farm.)”, he said.

Top Tourism Spot in La Trinidad

           

The Strawberry Farm also brings tourism opportunities for the municipality of La Trinidad. Among other strawberry farms in the municipality, the BSU Strawberry Farm has the widest land area and production of strawberries.

“Tourists can see our products, like strawberry taho, from social media. With this they are magnetized to visit Benguet. (Yung mga tinitinda namin nakikita ng mga tao sa social media. Nahahatak nila mga turista dito sa Benguet.)”, says manong Bruce Castillo a taho vendor at the farm for more than ten years.

The Department of Tourism Cordillera Region have been listing the Strawberry Farms as one of the top most visited site in Benguet for many years. Further , it has been included as part of the Baguio City tour itinerary since the city’s tourism boom.

To visit or not to visit again?

Despite the benefits of being a tourist destination, there are few concerns from the vendors around the farm and the visitors.

“The Number one problem here is the lack of parking lots, but because this is the property of BSU their approval should be sought first”, explains manong Bruce. “Lack of trash bins is also a problem…”, he added, “…the trash of the tourists were scattered because they do not know where to throw so it affects the beauty of the place.”

A farmer suggested to pave the pathways along the strawberry farm. He added that tourists complains about the muddy passageways. “This has been, apparently, a plan way, way back but it’s not yet implemented”, he shared.

Lack in advertising is also a problem as observed by the residents. People from different places thought that the farm is located in Baguio City. Also, during strawberry festival, tourists were not as many as during Panagbenga or other famous festivals in the country.

Aside from strawberries, the farm also produces lettuce, broccoli, sweet peas, beans, some varieties of flowers that grows in Benguet. These are the products the tourists see and buy especially during the rainy season when strawberries are not available.

La Trinidad Strawberry Farm overtaken?

            Strawberries require a specific climatic condition to grow. However, other provinces like Davao and Bicol have strawberry farms now. Photos of these farms posted in the internet would show that they have wide strawberry farms with green houses. Davao plant the berries in a bamboo stalk to prevent the strawberries lay on the ground also to provide a walkway conducive for visitors exploring the farm. Bicol on the other hand, focused on the aesthetic aspects of their strawberry farm. They have photo booths and good signage and designs in their view deck and entrance.

            Dr. Feliciano also believes that BSU’s strawberry farm needs a lot of improvement but the University still needs to seek assistance for funds. “We requested to the accounting office for enough fund for the improvement of the farm. We need to improve it because it is the main tourist attraction of the province of Benguet particularly La Trinidad so by all means we need to develop it.”

            “I do not believe that other places can surpass our strawberry farm. If they’ll produce strawberries in the low land, it will be for temporary production since we can only provide the needed climatic condition by nature to grow strawberries. They cannot come up with the kind of quality we produce here in Benguet”, Feliciano added.

Plotting the plans of the farm

For the past few years the Benguet State University and its co-stakeholders are looking out on improving the state of the farm.

            Dr. Padua, had headed a group from BSU who wants to improve the farm for tourism purposes. According to him, they passed a draft to the BSU administration for the development plan with the help of a Canadian expert.

            The development plan includes producing new varieties of strawberries, installing more trash bins inside the farm for cleaner environment, and having a good source of water.  The farm is also in need of green-houses too to produce strawberries even in rainy seasons. CRs, information desk, uniform stalls, good view deck, wider parking lots and establishing a restaurant to improve the tourism is also part of the plan.

            “We had the draft but they didn’t give us a go signal to push the development plan”, Dr. Padua said.

            Dr. Feliciano also enumerated the things UBA wants to improve for the improvement of the farm. These are: sourcing out a good portable irrigation system, very good view deck, road system, drainage canals, comfortable comfort rooms, restaurant that will cater the needs of the tourist going to the farm, very good parking area, and green houses.

            “The plans will be implemented at soonest possible time. We are trying to source out financers because that requires a multi-million cost of project to develop”, Dr. Feliciano answered.

Season of Implementation to Come

            UBA and Padua’s team has the same views on what to improve in the farm. The plans were broadcasted during the BSU Kapihan 2013. But as observed, the farm now, two years since the plans were constructed, the aesthetic aspect of the place only got worst.

The La Trinidad Tourism Plan has already been approved since the first quarter of this year, although we understand that BSU have their own plans for the site. “Implementation lang ang hinihintay. (We are only waiting for implementation), says Valred Olsim, Municipal Tourism Officer.

There are four main projects which are included in the Tourism Plan in which BSU’s approval and intervention are paramount. These are, beautification of CR, building of view decks, good parking lots and landscaping of the farm/parking area.

The plan was created through the efforts of several stakeholders which compose the Tourism council of La Trinidad. The council includes representatives from Benguet State University, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Local Government Unit, Barangay councils, Non-Government Organizations and private sectors.  //Jessica Caranay & Gerbien Mansilla (BSU-DEVCOMM)

* I promised Jessica and Gerbien to publish their story in my blog as part of their final output in their academic requirements. I'd like to thank them for this good start as fellow DevComm practitioners. Good luck to all endeavors!

Try the Free Online Courses!

For most of us who are too busy to upgrade our skills and knowledge, and consequently our resumes, online learning or e-learning may be the answer! Of course if we can just divert some of our energy from surfing facebook to this, we may take advantage of the many free online courses we find in the web. Among the sites I found for this are; COURSERA (https://www.coursera.org/), KHAN ACADEMY (www.khanacademy.org), OPENCULTURE.COM, and of course ALISON (www.alison.com). 

  

I’ve completed two courses in the online learning site Alison (This is something I can add-up in my Resume); one is Tourism Studies, the other is Psychology. Among the e-learning sites I mentioned, Alison has, by far, the most organized materials albeit too simple. However, I recommend this for those who are just starting (the other sites may require you to submit research).

My Advice: Yup, you can cheat your way to completing the course online (e.g. by clicking ‘done’ when you haven’t read the materials yet) but in the end what matters is how much you’ve learned.  The Diploma or the Certificates are mere scrap papers if you have not acquired the skills and the knowledge identified in the course’s learning outcomes.

Note however that most of these learning sites (like Alison) require payment for the Diploma/Certificate (the parchment is shipped from outside our country, and the frames are awesome;). The ‘transcript’ or the ‘Learner Record’, however is free and is downloadable as PDF file. Further, upon completion of a course, Alison will e-mail you  an 'evidence' (a personalized company letter) that may be attached in your resume as a record of such ‘accomplishment’ if you can't afford the Diploma/Certificate (haha!). 

If that does not motivate you, just imagine inserting “Diploma in Social Studies” in your Resume’s ‘Education’ part!

The role of Communication and Culture in Development

The role of Communication and Culture in Development

I have always pondered on the complicated debate on whether ‘culture created language’ or the other way around, which is; ‘language created culture’. I believe that both can be the case; the human’s social culture invented a tool to be one with the members of his society, and cultures also evolved by a process that heavily involves communication. They may even be products of each other.

Communication and culture have indeed a very intimate relationship. First, cultures are formed through communication or result of social communication. Then, communication and communication tools are used to preserve and pass along cultural characteristics from one place and time to another. One can conclude, therefore, that culture is shaped, transmitted, and learned through communication while communication practices are largely created, shaped, and transmitted by culture. Although, I am firm to say that communication is in itself, a culture.

Cultures are complex structures that consist of a wide collection of characteristics. The cultures of relationships or groups are relatively simple compared to those of organizations and, especially, societies. However, cultures are also dynamic - as societies evolve, culture within it also changes. In fact, cultures are ever changing from myriads of factors, like communication technology, and from different cultural encounters (because travelling has become convenient in our modern world). Thus, the ideas and the drive of people from different cultures were influenced in relation to their desires and needs. People, especially from developing countries felt the need to adapt to the changes of the world as a global village.

The need to grow with the modern society demands a change in culture. After all, the causes of rural poverty are complex and multidimensional and may involve, among other things, culture, climate, gender, markets, and public policy. Likewise, the rural poor are quite diverse both in the problems they face and the possible solutions to these problems. Thus, the acceptability of such endeavor requires compromise. Perhaps, to do this involves a tool to discover and study the factors that involves a certain change in their system, or in their lives. The people involved shall be informed, and with that genuine information, decide on what kind of development they would want for their place.

Culture and Communication: The road to Development

Culture and the Ecosystem

A UNESCO report on African poverty (“EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN AFRICA’S QUEST FOR DEVELOPMENT”) suggested that backwardness and poverty are often associated with an nonflexible culture. However, in its journal, “UNESCO Building Human Capacities in Least Developed Countries to Promote Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development” (2007, p.59), a UNESCO project that transforms peoples mindset through culture industry like appreciation of tourism on heritage parks, had produced thousands of jobs in a poor country like in Cambodia, heavily boosting its economy. It means, and adoptive culture which looks forward is bound to see progress. This strategy was also applied to our very own Palawan Island and its majestic beaches and Underground River systems. The Philippine culture depends on a successful ecosystem so that the locals can have a sustainable lifestyle in the future. The residents ultimately developed a culture to sustain and protect their ecosystem as part of their lives, and way of living.

An energy plant to pave way for development

An issue today that is worth the study is the proposal of a run-off Mini-hydro energy plant at Sabangan, Mt. Province. Sabangan, a fifth-class municipality in Mountain Province, which will host a 1 billion-peso investment after Hedcor Inc. Benguet, a subsidiary of AboitizPower, signed the final memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the operation of a mini-hydro run-off river power plant.

Hedcor Inc. Benguet senior vice president Chris Faelnar said the company will be investing a minimum of P1 billion for the construction of a 12.3-megawatt river run-off mini- hydro power plant to be located in barangays Namatec and Napua. This, he said after they were given the consent and the approval by the community, barangay, municipal and the provincial governments, giving the go signal for the start of the project. The amount of investment, he said, will include the construction of a road leading to the plant and the electro mechanical works needed in the operation. (Black and Hot, 2011)

The roads will be the first to be done, which the community can also utilize as part of their access to their homes and their local agricultural produce. When I visited the area last year  for the consultation of the people of the project as part of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act to Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) of any Project that will affect them and their Ancestral Domain, there were almost no roads leading to their homes and even directly to their farms. There was no industry, only the existence of small farms and some sarisari stores, and even in these farms, there was no assurance that they will have a good year for their crops. Below the highway, after some thick forest is a river which flows from Mt. Data, Bauko M.P., the forest reserve, to the Bontoc Chico River. This is the water that will be used to turn the turbines of the run-off mini hydro in a tunnel to produce electricity, this water will be the basis of the company to implement the their corporate social responsibility to build access roads for the residents and create jobs for them, and to pay taxes on the local government that will be used for projects that will benefit the community. It seems that development is on its way for the people of Sabangan.

Culture and the IPs of Sabangan

Water has always been respected and regarded as mythical in the province. The Inudey Falls near the area even relates a myth or a story of a man who paid the price for defecating in the water - his anal orifice became the passageway of water. The story is a bit weird but it made a point of culture that respects the water, or nature as a whole. That is why, in the series of consultation where I attended, many elders expressed their concerns on the process of the development. They fear that the waters will stop itself from going to their farms if it is disturbed by wrong development, they fear the effect of the cutting of some trees that will be necessary for the access road that is required by the project.

It was a natural tendency for the people of Sabangan to be concerned with the effect of the project to their ecosystem, and their way of life. Some opposed the proposal, but many insisted on the need for it, considering that in the present, their children are migrating to urbanized cities and towns for work. In 2010, the LGU of La Trinidad demolished illegal shanties at Dreamland, Pico that was squatted by hundreds of families who are mostly from Sabangan, Mt. Province. The expressions of these concerns were dramatic. I personally debated with myself if the mammoth company will change their lives for the better, or not.

Tongtongan: The culture of consultation and communication

In a series of consultation initiated by the NCIP-SABATA, the people of Sabangan especially from Napua and Namatec were brought to face the Project Proponent, Hedcor Inc., and discuss issues related to the project. All institutions within society facilitate communication, and in that way, they all contribute to the creation, spread, of idea and even culture. Communication media such as television, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, computers, and the Internet play a particularly important role, however, before these tools was a mode of communication that involves the participation of the parties in a developmental endeavor. Tongtongan was an old age tradition of consultation and communication and at the same time, a culture. It should be remembered that I suggested the intimate relationship of the two, and went as far to imply that both are products of each other.

The tongtongan helped the Indigenous Peoples of Sabangan decide whether they want the project or not. As a guaranty of the IPRA law, a free and prior informed consent was needed from the people before a certification to start the project from the NCIP will be released for the proponent. The IPRA law also guaranties that the consent will be given after consulting the people preferably through the existing and respected tradition of knowing the pulse of the people. Thus, the tongtongan was the perfect avenue for the people of Sabangan to inquire, even to negotiate with the project proponent. The event was naturally attended by elders or the ‘nanakays’, a crucial element to the traditional dialogue, the barangay and local officials, and every stakeholder in the area. A presentation was prepared by the project proponent and their personnel to show the advantages and disadvantages of said project, and asked the people for suggestion on how to alleviate poverty, especially in some far areas of the municipality.

Meeting of the Minds

In 2011, Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the three levels of government namely, the barangay, the municipal, and the provincial, with the project proponent, Hedcor Inc., after series of consultations that drew and outlined an understanding of what the proponent should do and not to do if they allow the project, taking in consideration the environmental, social, economic, and other aspects that will be affected by the project. Aside from taxes and royalties, stakeholders will be rewarded with infrastructure projects and even jobs, the project is expected to pave the way for development, as they choose to and as outlined in their agreement. (BusinessMirror, 2011)

To further stress the idea that the hydropower will be for the people, the Sabangan project will be carried out with the name Hedcor Sabangan Inc. after the signed  memorandum of agreement with the indigenous peoples of barangay Namatec and Napua and the municipality of Sabangan for said project. Baguionews, 2011)

The role of communication and culture to the developmental project

The basis of this project for the proponent is not just for profit but perhaps to realize their goal of cheap electricity that will be available for all. Unlike mining which is much unpopular, the mini-hydro project is a result of a demand which people also created. People use electricity, people invented gadgets that must use electricity, and people depend on this type of energy. The challenge, however, is how to communicate this proposal to the affected community, or to the affected Indigenous Peoples. The culture of tongtongan encouraged, not just the absorption of information, but also negotiation and the process of give and take, or compromise that will satisfy the concerns of each party. Without this culture, which is also a way of communicating, the developmental project will not be realized. 

Without communication, there will be no such thing as a sound and perfect developmental project for the people because the people will oppose such project resulting to unrealized investments. Without communication and without the proponents’ decision to consider the existing culture of the people of Sabangan, the MOA could have just been a mere scrap of paper. There could have been no musings of development, at least for the Indigenous Peoples of Sabangan, Mountain Province.

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* Note (2014): The author condemns the Contractor 'Sta. Clara' , and other enterprising officials for starting/implementing the project with less regard to the environment and respected tourism spots in the area. We hope that this issue will be addressed and Hedcor be alarmed. Inayan pay sa!