Recently, someone asked me how our garden and Aquaponics can help us in our missionary efforts to teach people and help the underprivileged. We thought that you might have the same question, and wanted to explain it a little closer.
Well, on the one hand, we have an organic greenhouse to supply the hotel with healthy, fresh vegetables. Manny has learned a lot about organic gardening and new methods in agriculture over the past 6 years, and we use the garden to educate people about healthy living and organic farming. We often have visitors from the hotel across the street, as well as other interested people who come and see for themselves how we cultivate the delicious salad and herbs. This gives us the opportunity to teach them about healthy living, which is very important here in the Philippines, where a large part of the population suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Not so long ago, we also had some students from an agricultural college with us for a whole week, and they learned first-hand about organic farming, EM (Effective Microorganisms) and much more. In health and nutrition seminars for the parents of STEP children, we teach the importance of healthy, organic fresh vegetables.
You won't believe how such a small greenhouse as ours (less than 2000 m2) can have such an impact on the whole province of Bohol! In 2016, Manny was hired by the Asia Foundation to teach 27 teachers of agricultural high schools across the province new organic farming technologies. As a result, agriculture has been integrated into the curriculum of all high schools in the province of Bohol and introduced last year, making it a first in the Philippines!
Manny is also very committed to building shredders and mills for farmers and gardeners, and recently he produced a mill and a black rice roaster for an association of poor farmers in the south of the Philippines. In the past, the farmers had to travel 70 km to grind and sell their rice after roasting it for 4 hours. Now they can roast their rice with Manny's roaster in 15 minutes and then grind it with the mill that he made for them, and the best part is that they don't have to drive 70 km, which had cost them a day or more every time!
On the pictures below you see our Aquaponics which is gradually growing.
Well, on the one hand, we have an organic greenhouse to supply the hotel with healthy, fresh vegetables. Manny has learned a lot about organic gardening and new methods in agriculture over the past 6 years, and we use the garden to educate people about healthy living and organic farming. We often have visitors from the hotel across the street, as well as other interested people who come and see for themselves how we cultivate the delicious salad and herbs. This gives us the opportunity to teach them about healthy living, which is very important here in the Philippines, where a large part of the population suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Not so long ago, we also had some students from an agricultural college with us for a whole week, and they learned first-hand about organic farming, EM (Effective Microorganisms) and much more. In health and nutrition seminars for the parents of STEP children, we teach the importance of healthy, organic fresh vegetables.
You won't believe how such a small greenhouse as ours (less than 2000 m2) can have such an impact on the whole province of Bohol! In 2016, Manny was hired by the Asia Foundation to teach 27 teachers of agricultural high schools across the province new organic farming technologies. As a result, agriculture has been integrated into the curriculum of all high schools in the province of Bohol and introduced last year, making it a first in the Philippines!
Manny is also very committed to building shredders and mills for farmers and gardeners, and recently he produced a mill and a black rice roaster for an association of poor farmers in the south of the Philippines. In the past, the farmers had to travel 70 km to grind and sell their rice after roasting it for 4 hours. Now they can roast their rice with Manny's roaster in 15 minutes and then grind it with the mill that he made for them, and the best part is that they don't have to drive 70 km, which had cost them a day or more every time!
On the pictures below you see our Aquaponics which is gradually growing.
