Organic Farms in CALABARZON that You Should Know About

As the concrete jungles continue to rise at the metropolis, the people in it would yearn even more for a quick breather outside. Often times, they would flock the naturally fancy and picture-perfect places nearby. While these places get tramped, there are those that remain known to only but a little. There are these places where knowledge is abundant, warm and hospitable people await plus they offer nothing but healthy options like the farms. Who would have thought that these can also be as pretty and even worthy of visiting as most people’s favorite places? The good thing is, there are numbers of them that are located just a few kilometers away from the city. With that, here are the organic farms in CALABARZON that you should know about and visit soon at the south!

Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute

Who is DA-ATI?

Agricultural Training Institute is the ‘training arm’ of the Department of Agriculture that manages the agricultural extension services nationwide since 1987. They equip the agricultural extension workers and other clients including the farmers and fishers with outcome-based knowledge and skills for sustainable growth and development. Apart from this, they also provide certification and accreditation to extension service providers.

The agency has been eager in getting their mission across and beyond boundaries. With this in mind, they came up with fusing agriculture with tourism. Consequently, they organized an event for media influencers who can share about Organic Agriculture in various means and platforms.

It was an honor to be part of The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Training Institute‘s first regional vloggers/ bloggers event. This aims to promote Organic Agriculture in CaLaBaRZon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon). In line with this, we visited the different certified Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSA) and School for Practical Agriculture (SPA) around Laguna and Quezon, including, of course, ATI’s very own techno-demo farm. We’re all honestly more than thrilled to share these places to everyone. With no further ado, here are the different Organic Farms in CALABARZON that we visited.

The Organic Farms in CALABARZON

ATI IV-A Techno-Demo Farm

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On our first day, we visited the ATI IV-A Techno-Demo Farm that is located at Trece Martires City, Cavite. It is quite a good proof that farming or gardening is never impossible even in small spaces at the urban area. Demo farm showcases various gardening practices for those with small spaces at home. Adjacent to the farm are the extension hub, learning center and dormitory where participants could stay in the duration of their training.

Uma Verde Econature Farm

After a long chill drive from Cavite to Quezon, we found ourselves enjoying the warmth of the morning sun at the grounds of Uma Verde Econature Farm. We walked to its humble and welcoming receiving area where the host met us. Ma’am Edelissa cheerfully greeted us then proceeded to giving us a quick background about the farm at their training hall.

After the welcome remarks, Sir Arnel Marasigan showed us around the farm. The huge rotting corn pile caught my attention. Before I could even ask as to how will they deal with it, Sir Arnel told us how those will not literally end up to the waste basket. Their Zero-waste management made it possible. We saw with our own eyes how they effectively made use of the waste in making fertilizers and organic pesticides. He even comprehensively discussed the process of producing these. He showed us how the vermiculture works, the process of mokusaku, bokashi, fermented plant juice (FPJ) and more!

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Uma Verde Econature Farm is “a small paradise thriving on natural farming” located at Candelaria, Quezon. This sustainable integrated farm is a DOT-accredited Agri-Tourism Farm Site and a ATI-accredited School for Practical Agriculture. On your visit, don’t miss out their tour on natural farming as you’ll truly gain a lot from it. When going home, you can take with you some golden or organic native chicken eggs and organic pork longganisa from the farm.

For more inquiries and reservation, you may reach or contact them at the following:
Address: 0991 Barangay Pook, Bucal Sur, Candelaria, Quezon
E-mail: umaverdeeconaturefarm@gmail.com
Mobile: +63 915 114 2880

Yumi’s Farm

On our arrival, a hill with dainty flower beds, a tall improvised windmill at midday and a gleeful host in plaid top with her sleeves rolled up welcomed us. Later on, we found out that the lady was Ma’am Alicia, the owner of the farm. She delightedly brought us to a gazebo atop the other hill where a feast awaits. There, she told us about the farm’s humble beginnings.

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The farm got its name from Ma’am Alicia’s lovely daughter, Yumi. The idea of farming came to them when their doctor advised her husband, who had diabetes, to resort to eating healthy food. Ma’am Alicia furthered that the farm is a manifestation of a dream; a dream to fulfill a purpose, to make a difference through establishing a community-based organic farming.

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Yumi’s Farm is an ATI-accredited Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) located at Ilayang Bukal, Tayabas City, Quezon Province. Aside from being a learning site, the farm also hosts recollection and retreat activities. With just Php 100.00, the visitors can already enjoy the peaceful ambience at the hills and a quick farm tour at Yumi’s Farm.

For more inquiries and reservation, you may reach or contact them at the following:
Address: Brgy. Ilaya Bukal, Tayabas Quezon
Mobile: +63 908 228 0113

Cortijo de Palsabangon

Cortijo is a Spanish term which means farm house. Palsabangon, on the other hand, is the Barangay where this organic farm is located. Thus, Cortijo de Palsabangon means ‘A farm house in Palsabangon’. This organic farm is an ATI-accredited School for Practical Agriculture (SPA). It is nestled in the vast verdant of Palsabangon in Pagbilao, Quezon.

It was drizzling when we came so we stayed at the restaurant for a while. The owner of the farm together with her staff gleefully welcomed us. The weather couldn’t be more chilling and gloomy but this didn’t stop us from exploring Cortijo de Palsabangon. As much as Ma’am Ayrin would want to show us every bit of the best things in Cortijo, the recent typhoon hit the town ravaging most parts of the farm. Instead, we walked into an area where the herbs are and she told us a lot of fascinating things about it. Then, prepared something grand for us during the dinner.

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Before it actually became an Organic farm, it first served delectable local cuisine to their family’s friends. These people encouraged Ma’am Ayrin to open a restaurant to the public. Without realizing it, it has gotten bigger as it started becoming a venue and catering to hundreds of weddings since 2015. What has made it even more special is that, their catering services has adopted their farm-to-table idea.

For more inquiries and reservation, you may reach or contact them at the following:
Address: Brgy. Ibabang Palsabangon, Pagbilao, Quezon
Mobile: +63 917 719 5358

Lukong Valley Farm Agriventures Incorporated

The sky halted from a heavy downpour when we came. The earth on our sole was just as damp as the air on our skin and so were the the grasses. We tiptoed our way to the receiving area where we witnessed an ethereal scene of the low-lying clouds enveloping Mt. Banahaw and the hills below it. The view shushed the chatters as we all looked at how tranquil it was.

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Lukong Valley Farm Agriventures Incorporated is one of those organic farms in CALABARZON that you shouldn’t miss in Quezon Province. They primarily center on connecting nature through a healthy lifestyle. They would gladly walk their visitors around to show how and where do their fresh produce are sourced from for their farm-to-table dining services. Aside from the healthy options on the table, another thing to look forward on your visit in the farm is their Chicken Park. This flagship attraction showcases hundreds of chickens of different breeds.

With just Php 50.00, the visitors could already enjoy a walk around the vast organic farm. What’s even more special about this is that, an overnight experience is something else. This gives a rustic yet classy antiquarian experience as you stay at the villa atop the hills that are seated at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. It overlooks the farm below especially the wide plain of Dragon fruit garden.

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The farm is an ATI-accredited Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) located just a few minutes away from the town proper of Dolores, Quezon. It is also one of the Department of Tourism’s accredited Agri-Tourism Farm Site.

For more inquiries and reservation, you may reach or contact them at the following:
Address: 1 Sitio Lukong, Brgy. Pinagdanlayan, Dolores, Quezon
E-mail: lukongvalleyfarm@gmail.com
Mobile: +63 917 614 6819

Gintong Bukid Farm and Leisure

For our last stop, we visited Gintong Bukid Farm & Leisure – a Hidden Gem in the Heart of Nagcarlan. This ATI-accredited Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) allows you to experience farming hands on. During our visit, they had us feed the chickens and the pigs, pick vegetables and even dig and harvest sweet potatoes. We even got a chance to pick fruits and taste them, too! These activities are part of their Pick and Pay, Hands-on demonstration and ‘Buhay Bukid’ package. They offer these packages to the guests to let them experience how fun farming actually is. For only Php 600.00, guests can go around on a guided tour in the farm for a day and experience a farm to table dining during lunch, snacks and dinner.

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What I loved the most about Gintong Bukid Farm & Leisure is how they embody the Filipino culture from the structure to its food. Upon your entrance to the farm, the bahay kubo at the end of a low-key grand path would instantly get your attention. This is where the guests could stay shall they decide to avail an overnight package. They will also experience the farm-to-table dining of nothing but local cuisine. The management also offers a tour to nearby attractions in the town such as the Yambo Lake, San Bartolome Church and the Underground Cemetery.

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For more inquiries and reservation, you may reach or contact them at the following:
Address: Brgy. Buboy, Nagcarlan, Laguna
E-mail: gintongbukid@yahoo.com
Mobile: +63 917 501 9895
Landline: (049) 530 6434

The Organic Farms in CALABARZON, In a Nutshell

I have been to a few organic farms before in Cavite but I was surprised to know that there’s even more bigger out there. Well, these are just few of the Organic farms in CALABARZON that you should know about. Each farm has their own best practices, attraction to look forward to and a valuable lesson to bring home; enough to make you excited about visiting them.

If you take care of nature, it will take care, nurture and feed you in return. This is the most essential lesson that this trip has taught me. The people behind these organic farms have realized this as they see farming as something more. They are professionals from other fields who found greater passion in taking care of life, nature and helping other people, too. A day tour