Organic Rice, organic sugar, organic fruits, to organic soaps and organic household items; people are getting more conscious with the food they eat and the products they use. But is this just a trend that entrepreneurs use to market their products or one of the latest breakthrough in science? I am gonna say Either.

Organic farming is simply defined as the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control, to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm.

It is a technique practiced for years. And now, the Philippines is up for it and education for Organic Farming is actively growing over the past 10 years among farmers mostly in Luzon.

In 1979, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) established the Center for Rural Technology Development (CRTD) in Calauan, Laguna.

CRTD serves as a venue for developing, testing, validating, and disseminating appropriate agricultural technologies. It has developed farming systems and agricultural technologies designed to optimize the use of land, providing ample yield so that farmers’ economic well being can be improved.

5 basic principles of integrated farming systems are applied in CRTD: Integration, diversification, optimum resource management, entrepreneurship and shift to organic farming.

Vermicomposting is applied to all parts of CRTD’s farm. Vermicompost is the product of composting utilizing various species of worms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. As leaves and manure are combined together with the worms to create compost, this not only help in recycling waste in the farm, but also helps in fertilizing the fruit trees, rice fields, tilapia pond, but also serves as an extra income to the farmers as well.

CRTD offers Technology Development that includes farming systems development, community-based testing, and networking; Technology Training management  (training administration and management, materials development, curriculum development, marketing and promotions); Technology dissemination and promotions such as farming systems demonstration and modelling, production of quality farm inputs and products, technology orientation program, and technology packaging.

The CRTD Training Center serves as a venue for in-house seminars and trainings of the Foundation’s staff, development partners and other external clients. It has conference rooms equipped with air-conditioning system. It also has dormitories that can accommodate 80persons.

Training farmers to switch from traditional farming to organic farming is a great challenge CRTD has faced. But over the past years, more and more farmers are becoming more receptive of the technology and organic farming is starting to pick up. Increasing demand for vermicompost and worms are definitely a good sign.

If organic farming continue among farmers, not only will their crops and the consumers be healthier, but it will also help in the conservation of our environment, which we can proudly leave to the future generation to enjoy.