BY JAMES TABABA
Marvi Rafael Montecillo and Rogen Montecillo, a husband and wife team, are the driving force behind the remarkable Anitu Food Forest. This passionate pair is on a mission to redefine sustainable farming and leave a positive impact on their community and environment.
Marvi ‘s great-grandparents were among the early pioneers who established a farm in a small town within Kibawe, Bukidnon during the 1950s. At that time, the area was an untouched vastness of virgin forest with old towering trees, some possibly exceeding a millennium in age, and incredibly fertile soil that inherently possessed richness without needing any further inputs. During that time, Marvi ‘s great-grandparents effortlessly cultivated and harvested coffee and cacao.
However, “That is no longer the case now, as our farming methods—although created material abundance that we are all so grateful for—was a method that is one of exploitation or extracting,” Marvi said. “…majority of native trees, coffee and cacao today have been cut down as pest and diseases infest the farms in Kibawe.”
Transition to syntropic farming
Marvi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Xavier University—Ateneo de Cagayan. His academic pursuit ignited a deep interest upon encountering the concept of syntropic or regenerative farming. According to Marvi, “Syntropic or regenerative farming is a type of farming method that takes the advice of mother nature which has created abundance all over the planet.”
Marvi further explained that “Syntropy refers to the tendency of systems to become more organized, complex, or integrated over time. In this sense, syntropy would represent the process of systems moving towards a state of greater order and organization.”
In essence, Marvi said that this can be illustrated as the transition from basic grasslands to intricate forests. By introducing human intervention, which involves actions like meticulously pruning or trimming biomass grass and densely planting numerous plants and trees, it can accelerate the pace at which growth, complexity, and abundance develop. This acceleration effectively condenses what nature might naturally accomplish in 200 years into a mere 10 to 20 years.
This innovative agricultural methodology emulates the way of nature, which has nurtured abundance throughout the planet's history. “For millions of years, life evolved from the simple one-celled microorganism and spread all over the planet into very complex ecosystems consisting of various plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, jungles, forests and even human civilizations etc.,” Marvi said.
Founding Anitu Forest
In the year 2020, Marvi entered the bonds of matrimony with his beloved partner. In collaboration with his spouse, Roge Montecillo, a recipient of the Young Farmers Challenge Program Award in the enterprise category. The Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Start-Up is a competitive financial grant assistance program aimed at supporting young individuals or groups interested in starting new agri-fishery enterprises by providing start-up capital for profitable ventures.
Their mutual entrepreneurial spirit sparked a realization that as entrepreneurs, they are responsible for identifying solutions to various challenges. This gave birth to Anitu Forest, an endeavor driven by a mission to tackle critical issues such as deforestation, excessive reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, insufficient cacao production in the Philippines, and the scarcity of viable employment opportunities.
Through a series of small experiments, they are determined to address these challenges by creating cacao forest farms and eventually launching a tree-to-bar chocolate company. Currently, they are crafting their chocolates at home.
Marvi and Rogen take care of various crops like coconuts, bananas, ginger, and cassava. As the tall native forest trees grow, they also plant cacao underneath. The main aim is to make yummy chocolate, so Marvi is working to bring back the trees that have always been around in this area.
Pioneering syntropic farming
Marvi and Rogen are pioneers of syntropic farming in the Philippines. While permaculture is practiced by many in the country, they are embracing syntropic farming as a way to achieve larger-scale natural agriculture that generates surplus produce, aiming to compete with conventional farming in terms of both production and cost-efficiency. According to their perspective, any method of natural farming should not only ensure the well-being of the community and the environment but also prove financially sustainable, with the ultimate goal being abundance. Given the expert assessment that much of the soil in the Philippines is severely degraded, Marvi and Rogen view syntropic farming as a potential solution to address this concern.
The couple believe that there's a disconnection between big financial institutions and their origins. They think there should be a return to the idea of "sound money" and a focus on supporting producers. They point out that in the past, things like cocoa beans and gold were used as money.
Looking at history, they've noticed that societies like Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Maya, which harmed their soil's fertility, saw their farming suffer. This often led to problems in society and the economy, eventually causing their downfall.
They consider themselves fortunate to engage in natural farming, understanding that as humans, they are an integral part of nature rather than separate from it. “With this in mind, we feel we are doing a very important job. And despite the difficulties, the feeling that we are doing something important pushes us to work harder and, hopefully, smarter,” Marvi said.
Learning syntropic farming proved to be a challenging and costly journey for Marvi and Rogen. They are grateful for the internet, which granted them access to a range of resources, including books like "Agricultura Syntropica" by Rebello and Sakamoto, written in Portuguese and translated into English. They also engaged in Facebook discussions with fellow syntropic farmers from Brazil, Australia, and Mexico. Through these avenues, they managed to amalgamate their learning and put it into practice.
While it's tempting to attribute their challenges to limited finances and lack of machinery, Marvi and Rogen recognize a more fundamental gap: the absence of knowledge and a culture that values continuous learning and knowledge accumulation.
Marvi and Rogen acknowledge the words of Ernst Gotsch, the visionary behind the synthesis of syntropic farming, and emphasize the significance of knowledge by stating, "Knowledge is the best fertilizer."
Teaching syntropic farming to the community's workers posed a significant challenge. “There are terminologies, scientific terms and phenomena that are not easily translatable to Bisaya.,” Marvi said. “But simply by doing and practicing syntropic farming, all of us, not only our workers, have slowly learned along the way.”
Although Marvi and Rogen were primarily engaged in conventional farming across most of their land, they initiated small experimental plots to practice syntropic farming. “The covid pandemic pushed us to risk a lot which actually helped us to improve faster,” Marvi said. “It was a pain to see our failed experiments die together with our false notions, but there is no way around it. We must fail in some things in order to learn and improve."
Success amidst skepticism
Despite the skepticism of nearby farmers who claim that "zero-chemical" or natural farming is unattainable due to the depleted and highly acidic soil in the area, Marvi and Rogen's farm yield presents a contrasting story. They successfully cultivate ginger, cassava, vegetables, bananas, and cacao without relying on chemical inputs.
“We believe, as time goes on, the soil fertility and biodiversity increase and our farm produce as well,” Marvi said.
Marvi and Rogen’s vision revolves around establishing a sustainable business through reforestation farming. “By making the consumers part of the reforestation process, we create a virtuous cycle where money flows from the city towards reforestation projects, and at the same time the forest provides high-quality food to people in the cities,” Marvi said.
Marvi and Rogen plan to expand their cacao forest farms, collaborating with and instructing fellow farms in the ways of syntropic farming, facilitating the growth of a craft chocolate market, and ultimately establishing a chocolate factory.
In the initial phase of their farming venture, Marvi and Rogen's aim is to demonstrate that syntropic farming is a superior method compared to conventional practices.
“This is a thesis, and only time will tell if we can show that indeed it is,” Marvi said. “Once we are able to prove it, we hope to partner with our neighbors to not only reforest our small barangay but create job opportunities and even spark a few minds who wish to engage in agri entrepreneurship.”
Within their farm, they provide consistent employment for around 10 to 15 people throughout the year. As entrepreneurs, their task involves selling their chocolates to consumers all across the Philippines, especially in urban areas. This way, they want to encourage consumers to actively participate in the reforestation process.
Vision for a sustainable future
In their perspective, the era of regenerative farming has arrived. With access to technology, machinery, equipment, and a wealth of knowledge, they recognize the potential for more effective farming practices.
Marvi and Rogen consider themselves entrepreneurs, tasked with finding solutions to challenges. They value the idea that in society, the success of one translates to success for all. This notion extends to farming, where prosperity is accessible to all farmers, and the benefits of high-quality produce are shared.
In their optimistic view, the multiplication of wealth, knowledge, and love occurs naturally as civilization progresses. They firmly hold that optimism and problem-solving can pave the way to addressing all challenges.
Life, for Marvi and Rogen, is an expedition they've chosen to embrace. “Despite a lot of unknowns and risks, this is what makes life worth living. Being a reforester and a regenerative farmer and creating a business around that is truly satisfying work.” Marvin said. “We believe in value creation, contribution to the community, and raising a family. These things make us happy.”
The next article will discuss syntropic farming, its benefits, principles, and its potential for better and more sustainable food production.
READ: Syntropic farming: A nature-inspired method of regenerative agriculture
Photo courtesy of Anitu Food Forest
