{"id":650,"date":"2018-04-19T01:27:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T17:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/650\/the-boon-of-living-sustainably-slowly-according-to-bukid-ni-bogs\/"},"modified":"2021-12-01T20:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T12:40:00","slug":"the-boon-of-living-sustainably-slowly-according-to-bukid-ni-bogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/650\/the-boon-of-living-sustainably-slowly-according-to-bukid-ni-bogs\/","title":{"rendered":"The boon of living sustainably, slowly according to Bukid ni Bogs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Everything can be learned from ground up.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bogs <\/em><\/p>\n

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These words are particularly true for Bogs Castro, a permaculture farmer who manages Bukid ni Bogs<\/a>, an agroecological farming and training center that promotes sustainable organic farming and permaculture in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur.<\/p>\n

His search and passion for knowledge has led him to a life of simplicity, and sustainable at that. Always restless, Bogs is always in search of something new and something to fill his quest and thirst for experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife after college has been a series of trials and errors for me. I pursued a lot of careers \u2013 from music and arts, to advertising and sales, a barista, a financial advisor, an operations manager, psychosocial care provider, starting up my own business and now I\u2019m practicing organic farming here in Mindanao,\u201d Bogs said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been hungry for knowledge and experience so whenever there\u2019s an opportunity to learn something new, I grab it. And when I\u2019m not busy learning, I\u2019m out there teaching \u2013 children mostly, and giving back to the people and communities that have inspired and molded the person that I am today. So far life\u2019s good, simple and stress-free. I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dumingag,<\/p>\n

Bogs first visited the town of Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur in December 2016, when his drum group was invited by Mayor Mark Pacalioga to conduct a series of music and arts workshop along with some friends. Throughout his stay, he was introduced to organic farming, which the town is famous for. It was an eye-opening experience, Bogs said with enthusiasm and warmth, seeing and experiencing first-hand how organic farming has transformed the lives of so many households in Dumingag.<\/p>\n

But as a visiting artist, his days in Dumingag were few and had to come to an end. He left Dumingag with a promise and a resolve that he will be back to this beautiful town to learn more about organic living. And he fulfilled that promise.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, my reason for coming back was to provide aid in the preservation and promotion of the Lumad Subanen culture through community immersions and also to conduct leadership training and music and arts workshops under the Dumingag Organic Culture Office which was spearheaded by Sir Neil Estillore. During my stay, I realized that I can also make time to learn about organic farming, permaculture, mushroom farming and organic soap making under Mrs. Girlyn Pacalioga\u2019s supervision and so I did just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bukid<\/p>\n

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Bogs related how he was inspired by the Dumingagnons pride in embracing their rich culture. \u201cEven children are taught about the importance of agriculture and permaculture in schools and in their homes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bukid ni Bogs and paying in effort<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bukid<\/p>\n

The plan for Bukid ni Bogs<\/a> is to build a sustainable farm that promotes permaculture and organic farming and to provide free training for anyone who wishes to learn about these practices. It also serves as a haven for artists who want to share their craft<\/a>. \u201cOne of my goals is to encourage people with artistic skills to come and visit the farm so we can do an energy exchange \u2013 they can conduct music and arts workshop here to teach me and some of the locals about their craft and we\u2019ll teach them about farming and organic soap making.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bogs is trying to deconstruct the idea that knowledge is expensive and can only be acquired by people with money. Instead of financial remunerations, Bogs believes and practices \u2018paying in effort\u2019 \u2013 the process of exchanging ideas and knowledge with someone who\u2019s good at doing another craft.<\/p>\n

His belief in paying in effort comes from experiencing it. Coming to Dumingag to teach, he was in turn mentored by a local, Girlyn Pacalioga, one of the most successful organic farmers in Dumingag. Until now, Pacalioga still guides him in managing and running Bukid ni Bogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Bukid<\/td>\n\"Bukid<\/td>\n\"Bukid<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u201cThe farm is still in its early stages and we are constantly developing and improving our products \u2013 organic soaps, organic balms, and oyster mushrooms under my mentor Girlyn Pacalioga\u2019s business name Umaleng Farm. She\u2019s been very supportive and generous in training me, she\u2019s almost like a second mother to me,\u201d Bogs said.<\/p>\n

Actions, not opinions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In a world where everybody has something to say, Bogs opted to live simply and just do.<\/p>\n

\"Bukid<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe that if you want to change the world, you start with yourself. Your actions, not your opinions, will shape our future,\u201d he said. \u201cRegardless of where you\u2019re standing, who you\u2019re dealing with or what you\u2019ve been working on, love and compassion enhances your actions towards it. Sure, being close with nature has a calming and regenerative effect on us, but what we do with nature and the motivation behind those actions can enhance or worsen the potency of these effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bogs, practicing ethical entrepreneurship is his contribution in making this world better than how he found it. He believes that being and doing good, no matter how monumental or infinitesimal will create a ripple effect of goodness to those around you. And that\u2019s the philosophy behind Bukid ni Bogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re doing good, and that\u2019s all that matters. Somewhere, someone will be inspired by your ways and they, too, will be affected by them, one way or another,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As someone who is closely attached to earth, Bogs tries to give back by taking as little resource as he could. It is a conscious effort by the farm not to use any plastic packaging nor use any chemical inputs to any of their products<\/strong>. The farm uses recycled paper to wrap organic soap bars, recycled containers for the balms and organic fertilizers and feeds for crops and animals.<\/p>\n

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NO TO PLASTIC! We use banana leaves to prepare these eggplant seedlings prior to sowing. If the conditions are good, we can harvest in 3mos time #bukidnibogs<\/a><\/p>\n

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