CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Caiselyn Saltiban, 22, went on to pursue a career in agriculture.
This is a career that few young people today would even consider taking.
Being a woman at that, she took on the daunting task of introducing integrated agriculture in a 22-hectare farm.
At 21 years old, Saltiban is now the owner of ng The Promise Land Integrated Farm sa Talugtug in Nueva Ecija.
Saltiban began her interest in agriculture when she was merely 13 years old. Born in a family of rice farmers, she saw firsthand the hardships experienced by her family in trying to manage their rice farm. Her family would go to the extent of putting up loans just to be able to plant for the current cropping season. Sometimes, the family would not even earn enough from the produce to pay debtors and end up with mounting debts.
Fortunately, the Department of Agriculture had been organizing seminars and talks on agricultural entrepreneurship. Saltiban took advantage of the opportunity to attend skills training and seminars. This is where she met farmers who were able to transition from just being producers to entrepreneurs. Aside from the skills and knowledge, she came to the realization that farming can be a profitable career choice. Saltiban took a degree course in agriculture.
“I started with selling cultured bacteria to fourth-year students. I started earning some P2000,” Saltiban said, adding that she used her earnings for school expenses.
When the pandemic came and put a halt on the local economy with lockdowns and restrictions, Saltiban realized the importance of food security during times of crisis. The pandemic did not stop her from opening a small nursery and planting lettuce which she sold for extra income.
The pandemic provided Saltiban with the time to manage the 22-hectare property of her sibling. She continued farming and integrating animals into the system. It was not an easy task for her but she managed to put things through.
“At a very young age, I was not yet finished with my collegiate schooling then. All was from scratch. I studied what kind of medicine to put on plants, I studied animals and crops but it's difficult when it's in the actual field work,” Saltiban said.
With the hardships experienced, it was here that Saltiban began to talk and learn from experts, inputs which she still uses in farming.
Apart from this, Saltiban had the opportunity to participate in the DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Services Kabataang Agribiz program for young people aged 18-30 who want to enter the agricultural business. This greatly helped her to expand production due to the great demand in agricultural products in the market.
"I was just rotating the limited fund I had. So, I thought it would help if I won. I created a Business Model Canvas and was lucky enough to win Provincial, Regional and was nominated up to National Level,” Saltiban said.
Currently, there are four projects that Saltiban has further developed on her farm from the prize won in Kabataang Agribiz: these are high-value vegetables, tilapia rearing, goat breeding, and plant nursery.
Her farm also has its own processed product which she dubbed “Produkto Ilokano”. These products include chili paste, chili alamang paste, and pickled pepper that they process and sell for a good price.
"Sa kabila ng pagiging kabataan at kababaihan ay hindi naging hadlang ito para kay Kassy na maging halimbawa sa nakararami lalo na sa sigasig nito sa pagsasaka at pagnenegosyo. Siya ay tunay na kakikitaan ng lakas ng loob, sipag, tigaya at diskarte na kabibiliban nang marami at kapupulutan ng inspirasyon."
Being a young lady did not stop Saltiban from being an example of how perseverance and hard work can spell success in farming and entrepreneurship