Description of Herbana Farms Philippines

Herbana Farms is a 4 hectare ecological organic demonstration farm that specializes in the production of herbs, organic salad greens, specialty vegetables, free-range chickens and tilapia aquaculture. It also serves as a training venue for people who wants to learn the different organic and natural farming technologies – these include the Biodynamic-French Intensive, Agroecology and Korean Natural Farming.

Aside from the current production of organic produce, the farm plans to establish free-range chicken and tilapia aquaculture. It is starting to establish fruit orchard featuring special rambutan materials, duku and longkong, pomelo, durian and mangosteen, including some special and traditional varieties of mangoes.

One of the main trust of the farm aside from organic crop and livestock production is the creation of special gardens and crop fields to showcase both the organic and natural farming technologies and agroecological approach to sustainable agriculture. Two production systems are showcased in the farm – intensive gardens and field crop productions. A diversed garden featuring vegetables, herbs, and flowers have been established by last year’s farm interns. This includes both local and exotic vegetables and herbs, including cut flowers. The herb garden features both medicinal and culinary herbs. A natural pond shall also be created that will not only intend to produce tilapia and catfish for food but a pond for people to dip, including spa type bath heated by solar energy. Adjacent to spa, we have built a sauna and solar showers. A meditation sanctuary area shall also be created on a mini-forest in the farm, including a natural house which we expect to complete for this year’s apprenticeship program. Free-range chicken shall be incorporated in the system. As part of the farm’s community outreach, a community garden shall be established for local folks to participate, leasing garden plots for organic vegetable production. The farm shall help local folks in accessing organic technologies and inputs, including market for their produce.

The farm shall evolve its life lab or kids garden where youngsters will be able to witness and learn the basic organic gardening first-hand. The said garden shall showcase several sustainable garden systems for students learning like composting and compost bins, natural free-range chickens, pizza garden, bees, and other learning structures and activities. This will be open to the public and regular tour shall be conducted.

Our seminars, workshops, and short courses focuses on sustainable farming practices and systems that provide training in farming and gardening of small-scale farms, classroom instruction and in-field training and hands-on experience in greenhouse, garden orchards, fields, and marketing outlets. Our trainings are focused not just the theoretical but more so on the practical organic gardening as practiced in our farm. A calendar of activities shall be programmed to include not only seminars and workshops, but also sustainable living skills like salve and tincture making, soap-making, vegetarian cooking, and many more, including scheduled harvest festival, U-pick operations, garden poetry readings, cooking demos, garden and farm paintings, and drum circle.

The farm also provides apprenticeship that will both accommodate local and international participants. In this program, participants will be able to learn sustainable farming systems as practiced in the farm first-hand, via semi-formal classroom instructions, field trips, and actual farm works.. Several sustainable farming technologies shall include organic, French intensive, biodynamics and natural farming, including agroecology and permaculture. As part of the program, it will not just be limited to the technical production side but will also include social issues affecting our food systems.

 

The farm sits on a hill with a panoramic views of Laguna de Bay, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Malarayat, Mt. Makulot and the famous Tagaytay Ridge. It is located 59 km South of Manila. It is very quiet area with some local folks nearby as neighbors. It has a fantastic sunset!

The farm will be open to the public on guided and self-guided tours.