BINALBAGAN – A small community in this town is being positioned as the first agri-ecotourism site in southern Negros Occidental.
PeacePond, an eight-hectare organic farm and fish production area in Barangay Enclaro, hosts the Plastic Bottle Learning Center and Eco Seed Factory inaugurated Wednesday, October 5.
PeacePond Farmers Association (PFA) president Checcs Osmeña-Orbida, who led the opening activity, said the projects are just two of their commitments to community development.
Community development initiatives include advocacies on solid waste management, organic farming and aquaculture, vermiculture, educational scholarships, rural, educational and cultural outreach programs, livelihood, and women and children empowerment, she added.
Her husband Jet, the association's executive director, said the learning center and ecoseed factory are mainly aimed at promoting health, education, information dissemination, and food security especially among small farmer-families.
"We started implementing good agricultural practices here last year, and we wanted to also encourage other members of the community even other nearby areas to do the same," he added.
The learning center, which is dominantly made up of more than 3,000 plastic bottles, will serve as venue for trainings and workshops.
The Eco Seed Factory is used by the association to germinate and grow seedlings to be used as planting materials being distributed to different organized agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (Arbos) and small farmers.
The two projects were established through grants amounting to P80,000 as seed-money given by the Langit Araw Hangin Ako Tubig (Lahat) Community Empowerment Inc. to the couple, who are also directors of the organization.
Binggirl Celemente, president of Lahat, said the Orbidas’ initiatives form part of the Board’s Environment Challenge Project that aims to uphold community empowerment.
“This is the first plastic bottle learning center in the region,” Clemente said, adding that the projects have the most comprehensive integration – from solid waste management to organic farming practices.
Aside from the Plastic Bottle Learning Center and Eco Seed Factory, PeacePond also hosts various agri-ecotourism activities such as organic poultry animal raising, virgin coconut oil and coco sugar production, organic vegetable farming, coconut nursery, rain catchment, and rope pump, among others.
The livelihood projects especially the coco sugar and bangus production have been helping 14 households in the community.
PFA has been recognized by the Philippine Coconut Authority for its “Responsive Adoption of Value-Added Technology for Coconut Products.”
Of the eight-hectare area, about four hectares are fish pond devoted to organic bangus production.
Mayor Emmanuel Aranda, who attended the inauguration rites, said the municipal government has recognized the initiatives of the association in promoting sustainability thus, it is providing assistance in the construction of additional structure and provision of equipment and animal stocks.
“We will use the community as a model site to be replicated in other areas in Binalbagan,” Aranda added.