Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives. — Maya Angelou
I am not here to tell people what's right or wrong, but to share about sustainability in order to provide safe and healthy food to myself, my family, and to others—and how you can, too, begin your journey to sustainability.
Over the past years, I have seen activists both on TV and online fighting for environmental and sociopolitical issues in relation to sustainability, that's very much okay, but to me who is a mere nobody, who has no voice (and also an extreme introvert), what I can only contribute is through what I practice and what I share within my tiny social circle.
As a former kid, I saw that it was already a culture to be unhealthy. It was all over the TV, unhealthy products carefully delivered into highly persuasive advertisements that are repeated several times daily over the span of a few moths. And to my dismay, my Papa barred us from watching the TV unless it was the news. I hate the news, I only wanted the cartoons!
To me as a child, it was an oppressive ruling, but I realized over the years that I was lucky enough to have not made watching TV a habit. On most times, we were out in the fields helping our parents doing farm chores—or maybe just running around the farm and climbing the trees.
At school, there were a few annual symposiums about the environment and I frequent myself into poster-making contests where I showcase my interpretations of what the world should to save the environment. It was fleeting, for more than a decade, I forgot about what I learned as I became a functional member of the workforce, with just a sole aim to earn money for a living.
It was only when I got too homesick in the city that I realized that home is where I wanted to be. As preparation, I practiced a bit of minimalism and ditched (thrown or gave) two-thirds of my belongings and lived off with less. It was astonishing to realize how much I have accumulated in just a span of three years, I was hoarding things that I have no plans of using again!
There was a turning point in my life that I began mindful eating, even delving into a more plant-based diet, though it was hard when temptations surrounded me in the city, it was an enlightening experience.
Then after, I dreamt of coming home to do farming; and a few years later I am here now. I grow stuff, but it isn't easy.
In the theory of multiple intelligence, I was lucky enough to have a strong naturalist intelligence, self-proclaim and as awarded by a prestigious online quiz! Jokes aside, the allure of nature has always fascinated me. I remember when I was a kid that I would make a pocket garden at home, maybe as an imitation to my father's curated Orchidarium. Also, with influence to the agricultural school where I spent most of my childhood, I have carried this love for planting and sometimes into animal husbandry.
It was a general knowledge, as for me during my childhood, that farming is tedious and expensive—still, the joy of the country life has hypnotized me albeit the hardships that real farmers encounter such as the debt-trap, poverty, and oppression. Though my thoughts aren't into conventional farming, through my recent experience, I have embraced the food forest movement and practical self-sufficiency.
I cannot feed the world, but I want to be sustainable enough to also share safe produce to my family and to the community. In order to achieve this, is to pass to the eye of the needle and somehow survive. I meant, it is hard. The economics of resources is more than enough to raise the white flag—but to correct my thinking, it isn't about having more, but instead, it is about making most of what is available.
Due to my tight schedule in my previous job and my Master's degree, I gave up working at the farm in order to gain more focus as it was far and difficult to travel to, but to satiate my desire to grow foods, I took over our nearby orchard and began my journey with just one raised-bed until slowly expanding it over the coming months.
Right now, I have five raised-beds that have saved me during the dry season. If you haven't known it, yet, the orchard—better known as The Garden—though teeming with fruit trees, isn't great for growing vegetables and other seasonal crops. It is muddy during the wet season, but rock-hard during the dry season. The raised-beds and mulching helped me a lot!
After a year, I saw the soil has improved a bit and I intend to grow cover crops, such as Arachis pintoi, so that it nurture the soil to support regenerative farming.
One major problem, really, is pests—just leave one night, and the damage is unfathomable. Since I have no funds, it is easy for me to look for alternatives.
Recently, I have lost myself again to the internet after seeing the active ingredient, Metofluthrin, on the mosquito coils (incense) on its packaging. I have so many questions about its toxicity and other applications. This has led me into discovering about Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids before concluding into the biopesticidal qualities of Chrysanthemums.
Unluckily, it is hard to grow mums in my area. On the other hand, we have been growing Marigolds (Tagetes, not Calendula) at home and in the farm. Various sources online, claims that Marigolds also has a biopesticidal potential like Chrysanthemums. So, I visited the farm and picked some flowers and concocted a flower infusion. I fermented it for a night before using it at my garden.
When I came back to the orchard, I was shocked to see that the cucumbers are already budding with flowers. My mind was divided into spraying the marigold infusion or not, as it can also harm other beneficial insects. Still, I opted to continue and testing a dose of the marigold unto my vegetables.
One major pest, are some tiny orange bugs that suck the leaves dry causing holes and discolorations. I have to manually pick and crush some out of anger. I also tried bringing in smoke using coconut husks to deter insects from infesting the garden. Though, common sense, it is illegal to undecisively burning trees, but in forestry, the smoke can be beneficial to fruit trees, based on my parents' account, as it induces flowers when in the right timing.
I will be looking into other safe alterntives that will do no harm tl those will consume my harvest. It is just the beginning and the real test to the efficacy of the Marigold infusion will be proved on harvest time. As for the infusion will it work?
If you know other safe and easy to follow biopesticide, share it to the comment section below, I would be happy to apply it in my garden.
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How am I supporting Hive? I have been into Hive since it's early days, its ethos was the key driving force of my full migration. The level of witness availability and developers' passion to grow Hive with intent to protect and benefit the blockchain and community itself is the very essence of decentralization, while still being able to balance freedom and quality.
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About Me
@oniemaniego is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.
 | Onie Maniego / Loy Bukid was born in Leyte, PH. He grew up in a rural area with a close-knit community and a simple lifestyle, he is often visiting his father's orchards during summer and weekends, which has a great impact on his works. |
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