Organic Agriculture Farm Tour: Forest Wood Garden

Our second farm stop during the “Exploring Organic Agriculture Practices in Southern Tagalog” tour was Forest Wood Garden.

Forest Wood Garden is a 5-hectare ATI Learning Site owned by former Overseas Filipino worker (OFW), Joel Frago, and his wife, Myrna Frago, that was initially born as an simple ornamental garden.

Allow me to let you in on a virtual tour through the album I uploaded on Facebook.

Forest Wood Garden has since transformed into the now integrated diversified organic farming system (IDOFS), with expertise in landscaping design and is known for its delicacies: Pansit Kalabuko, Plantsado Lamang Lupa (rootcrops cooked with old school iron) and Balol, a sun-scorched and herb smoked meat.

Mr. Frago toured us around their property. One thing that especially echoed within Forest Wood Garden for me, is its pristine feel – with its untouched terrain that we trekked through. The above photo is a hut with roof and walls made out of leaf base of a coconut tree.

Nothing is wasted in this farm. Take for example the rain water that is regularly collected in these basins. They are used to water the plants all throughout the farmland.

Swine, chicken and monkeys cohabitate within the Forest Wood Garden. Above is a photo of a mother swine with her day old piglets. Pigs within Forest Wood Garden take part of left over coconut meat for their food and other organic produce.

Sir Joel shared the challenges they faced when typhoon Glenda devastated the farm in 2014. This, he mentioned, affirms their decision to practice mixed cropping as opposed to mono-cropping that traditional farms are used to practice. Inter-cropping allows for a farm to thrive despite typhoon devastations. Because with mixed cropping, the probability of stronger crops to withstand is higher than with a single-crop method practice.

Guided Tours

Forest Wood Garden, being an accredited agri-tourism site of the Department of Tourism opens its doors to the public and offers guided tour and organic dining for as low as P350.00 per head. They also offer seminars on IDOFS, organic inputs and sustainable pig farming and agri-preneurship.

Forest Wood Garden
Address: Brgy.Sta.Elena, San Pablo City 4000
Contact No. 0939.9387131
Email: forestwood_garden@yahoo.com

Organic Agriculture Farm Tour: Forest Wood Garden

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