Farmers in Albuera, Leyte have become the newest beneficiaries of San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) Backyard Bukid initiative, the first in the Visayas region to benefit from the conglomerate’s support for local farmers.
The Backyard Bukid initiative has expanded to nine sites nationwide, including its first in the Visayas, as the concept grows beyond its original urban farming model to support food security and supplemental livelihoods in local communities, the SMC said in a recent press release.
The program was launched in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide food for utility and security personnel stranded by lockdowns at San Miguel’s headquarters in Mandaluyong City. It has since evolved into a community-based organic farming program implemented in several areas through San Miguel Foundation, Inc. (SMFI).
Its newest site was launched earlier this year by San Miguel Foods (SMF) at the Antipolo Elementary School in Albuera, Leyte, where a Magnolia Poultry Processing Plant is located, setting the record as SMC’s first-ever Backyard Bukid in the Visayas.
It now operates as a support program for health, nutrition, and livelihood, with 25 community farmers composed of parents, barangay officials, and school staff.
“I am proud of our teamwork here in Backyard Bukid and what we’ve learned in making our own organic inputs. We really developed a strong sense of community, which is why our farm has been very productive,” Jonathan Dimailig, a community farmer, said at the harvesting ceremony that launched the new farm recently.
In March, another Backyard Bukid by San Miguel Foods was launched at the Soyung Elementary School in Echague, Isabela, together with SEED Philippines – an institutional partner that has been training SMC’s volunteers in organic farming.
Uniquely, this expansion in Northern Luzon enlisted an all-women farming group, thereby strengthening SMC’s support for women's empowerment on the occasion of Women’s Month.
“We’re excited to see how this farm will continue to grow in Isabela under its all-female team. More than managing a source of food for their families, their taking charge of this livelihood project is a strong statement for the role of women not just in the family but in the community,” SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said.
These two new farming sites add up to the seven active SMC Backyard Bukid farms located at the SMC Head Office Complex in Mandaluyong City; the San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp. facility in Gen. Trias, Cavite; the Better World Smokey Mountain Community Center in Tondo, Manila; and the SMF-led project sites in Barangay Sagurong in Pili, Camarines Sur; Barangay Guihing in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur; Barangay Impalutao, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon; and at Darong Marcos P. Saez Elementary School in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.
To date, the nine SMC Backyard Bukid farms have produced more than 4,300 kg. of assorted crops and generated additional income for 155 active employees and community farmers.
Among the leafy vegetables and salad herbs produced in these farms are lettuce, bok choy, kangkong, eggplant, lady finger, tomato, moringa, kalamansi, basil, arugula, and oregano, alongside fruit-bearing crops, including banana and papaya.
In the coming months, San Miguel Foods is set to develop more SMC Backyard Bukid sites located in public elementary schools in Bulacan, Iloilo, and Misamis Oriental.
At the same time, SMC’s San Miguel Properties is also setting up its own community-managed farm in Barangay Tagabuli, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur to be a fully-fledged SMC Backyard Bukid before the end of the year.
From the first SMC Backyard Bukid activated at the company’s Head Office Compound in Mandaluyong City, the program has since expanded, with SMC ensuring that all participants undergo training by San Miguel Foundation partner, SEED Philippines, in organic farming methods, soil management, and crop care to keep the initiative sustainable.
At present, all SMC Backyard Bukid farmers practice organic and sustainable farming by using natural alternatives to chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. They apply fermented plant-based sprays, vermicast, and organic fertilizers to maintain healthy crops while protecting the environment. They also learned how to produce their own organic inputs, including fermented plant and fruit juices (FPJ/FFJ), fish amino acid (FAA), and oriental herbal nutrients (OHN).
“Our Backyard Bukids are a showcase of the initiative, teamwork, and resilience of our employee and community volunteers, which San Miguel is proud to support and encourage through the years,” Ang said.
“We will continue to replicate these farms in other areas to provide healthier food options and additional income for families, and turn idle land into a shared space for learning and sustainable livelihood – and a stronger community in the process.”
(With report from PNA)
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