The Trading center case

Field visit to Agrizkaya cooperative - Trading center case

On February 6, 2019, we went to Agrizkaya Coop. at Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, to look at the current situation of the store and the farms. First, we went to the store and bought their organic products like food and drinks. They were very kind and welcoming to us. We saw how the store looked like, how the products were organized and the price ranges of their current products on display.

Our second stop was at the farms. The farms were located at the summit and the side of the mountain. The manager, Miss Eden D. Lacar, explained how everything works at the farm. She showed us their greenhouse and the organic crops they grow. A resident farmer, Mr. Eduardo Pintasan, showed us how to harvest purple yams and even let us try it ourselves. We also had our lunch in this farm, they served us Tinola and their vegetable produce, which was very delicious.

After that, we went to the second farm which was not far from the first. They served us lemon grass tea and rice wine, locally known as “Tapoy”. The terrain in the farm was very steep and thinking about how the farmers harvest their crops on such terrain is very fascinating. For us it was difficult to come down the mountain slope because besides being steep, it was also quite slippery. Some of the farmers were already above 60 years old and they could do it easily. Looking at the vista on each mountain was spectacular. From there, you can see the other farms with their crops and many other things.

After that we went back to the store in Bambang. They had a greenhouse at the back of their workshop as well. There was something burning behind so with the help of the people there the fire was extinguished.

In this trip, we learned a lot more about Agrizkaya and their problems which can help us to come up with a possible solution.