Courtesy visit to Mayor Junie Yu, MD and LGU officers of Calape, Bohol for FMDS-UPOU'S DOST PCAARRD-funded permaculture research entitled "Participatory Approach in Assessing and Promoting Women-led Permaculture in Selected Permaculture Sites in the Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources (AANR) Sectors in the Philippines"
Initial meeting on our project on women-led permaculture with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bohol at the Municipal Agriculture Office of Calape.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing with Ms. Efrenia Holt of Atbang Farm - Food Forest, our partner permaculture farm representing the Natural Resources sector in Calape, Bohol.
This is a two-year research project on women-led permaculture by FMDS-UPOU funded by DOST-PCAARRD.
After less than an hour's drive from our AirBnB to the research site, the team hiked less than a kilometer from the main road to the entrance of @atbangfarm. Our local coordinator, Sir Alex, and driver, Kuya Noel, accompanied us.
We had breakfast at the farm house and had a short orientation with our respondent and project partner, Ms. Efrenia Holt.
Ms. Holt took us on a farm tour and showed us the cacao trees and significant places from her childhood--like the tree house. Some notable events mentioned that altered the landscape were the October 15, 2013 earthquake and the December 16, 2021 Super Typhoon Odette. Thankfully, the farm house was not affected by the landslide.
The landscape has recovered, in terms of vegetation cover, since the typhoon. Ms. Holt was even surprised to see how dense the food forest has become.
As we hiked around the farm with Atbang farmers, Kuya Oscar and Kuya Ian, we documented the six components that define the structure of a permaculture landscape: abiotic, biotic, manmade structural, technological, socio-economic, and cultural (Flores and Buot, 2021). A notable observation is the use of JADAM technology to improve crop health. Highlighting the relationships between abiotic, biotic, and technological components. Cultural components are significant as well as Ms. Holt's clan are deeply rooted in the Cabayugan landscape.
With these observations, we have more insights and context when we conduct our KIIs and FGDs in our next visits.
Documemting biodiversity in @atbangfarm 🌳🦅🌸🕸🍄
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At the end of our fieldwork, Ms. Holt of @atbangfarm took us to one of her favorite spots a few meters south of the cacao trees--a waterfall! Truly magical. Thank you for this experience. It's a reminder of the ecosystems that we need to protect for future generations to enjoy. 💜
@atbangfarm's primary product is chocolate! And these cacao pods are where the chocolate comes from. According to Ms. Holt, a study by the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) revealed that some of the farm's cacao plants are of the Criollo variety--the kind used for making fine chocolate! 🍫
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