Radson Flores and Matt Lozano learn farming techniques at Urban Farmers PH | Farm To Table
Aired (July 30, 2023): Randy Yenogracio, manager of Urban Farmers PH, teaches Radson Flores and Matt Lozano on various farming techniques. He also talked about the farm's history and how it got started.
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00:00 [Music]
00:09 Every night, we watch Matt and Radzard fight in Beast Fighters as Big Bert and Mark in Vault S5 Legacy.
00:16 But today, they're on timeout from Camp Big Falcon to volunteer as urban farmers here in BGC.
00:24 Even though they're not fighting aliens, volunteers are still doing their part to help people's lives
00:34 by sharing their knowledge about the importance of farming and planting fresh food.
00:38 So, Farmer Andy, how did you start volunteering?
00:50 Actually, sir, the good thing about urban farming is the advocacy.
00:55 I was one of the displaced workers at that time of pandemic.
00:59 I was working from office but all businesses were closed.
01:03 I was given an opportunity to learn and teach farming.
01:08 And now, I'm sharing also my knowledge.
01:10 Now, I'll introduce the soil media that we're using here in the farm.
01:15 We have what we call carbonized rice hull.
01:19 The role of the soil media is to make the soil loose.
01:24 It's not hard or hard when it's dry.
01:30 Next, we have what we call coco peat.
01:33 Coco peat holds water and at the same time, it gives care to the roots so that it can penetrate and grow.
01:41 And then, the most important soil media is what we call burning gas.
01:47 It's the manure of the flowers.
01:50 But it's the one that produces all the nutrients needed by the plants.
01:53 Magnesium, potassium, nitrogen, calcium, all the plants' needs are coming from this soil.
02:00 Then, we mix it all together.
02:03 And one thing, it's a Maggie ratio.
02:05 60% for the vermicast, 20% for the coco peat, and 20% for the CRH.
02:12 Aside from the effective ways of preparing the soil for planting, you can also learn how to grow plants here.
02:20 From growing seedlings in their greenhouses, proper transplantation of these,
02:27 and of course, the daily care of the plants for them to grow.
02:39 I'll grow you well, Roberto! Francis!
02:43 Farming has been my profession for the longest time.
02:50 This is my college racket.
02:53 Those were the times when there was no other source of income.
02:58 So, I was with the farmers, especially in the rice fields.
03:05 That's why we only have lettuce here for now, when we do proper rotation.
03:09 It's not close to pests.
03:12 Unlike petchay, the pests are very close to the city.
03:15 I see. Those are the things that you guys have discovered.
03:19 While farming here, the setup is different.
03:23 Before, I was in Agri-Company.
03:26 The attack there in the rural area is different from here in the urban.
03:29 Because here, you have to think about maybe rats or maybe what.
03:33 The pests that are usually found in the house are not usually found in the farm.
03:37 Here, they are already strong.
03:39 So, you really have to think about the crops that are not close to the city.
03:44 What I also like about the design that you guys have here is,
03:48 in the specific areas, you put flowers,
03:54 maybe a track, pollinators, bees.
04:00 Yes, because we don't have that many people to hand pollinate.
04:03 Because some people hand pollinate.
04:05 So, for us, we want to work with the biodiversity here.
04:08 Seeing as we don't really have to use chemical pesticides because we are doing natural farming.
04:15 So, the purpose of the flowers is really to feed the bees who do the pollination.
04:19 What's nice here is that you have surrounded it with basil.
04:26 So, the smell is very strong.
04:30 So, somehow, it repels the possible pests.
04:34 It's not just the former staff who lost their jobs and the volunteers,
04:39 the young professionals, that I met when we visited Urban Farmers.
04:43 I was also surprised that one of the supporters and volunteers of this project
04:48 is the respected chef and culinary director of the Center for Culinary Arts.
04:54 It's none other than Chef Philip John Golding.
04:57 He is one of the people who will be joining us in cooking today.
05:01 That's why this Sinamata Tradson,
05:04 it seems like our dishes are more determined in preparing curry.
05:08 Amin.
05:09 [Music]
05:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]