Growing Abundance: How This Farming Couple is Blessing Their Community
Al and his wife, Mae, had just welcomed a daughter into their lives when they received some troubling news from the doctor. Al’s recent test results weren’t looking good: heart disease, diabetes, hypertension—he needed to change his lifestyle if he wished to avoid his health souring.
Al had a successful career as a mechanical engineer for a prominent company in metro Manila, Philippines, but his family made the difficult decision to give it all up and move to a plot of land in Negros Island, where his father lived.
Katuwang, a partner of Partners Worldwide (PW), provided Al with a $5,000 loan to launch his new business: an organic farm, which they named Senoro Green Farm. Through this investment, Al constructed greenhouses, a water refueling station, and a fishpond.
A Dream Fulfilled
Although the farm benefited Al’s health, he really saw it as a blessing to his community. Al understood that, through entrepreneurship, you can utilize your God-given skills to serve those around you. It was a mindset Al developed when he became a PW microenterprise trainer, but the seeds of his passion for service were planted even earlier.
A photographer by trade, Al’s father ran for public office so that he could help others in his community. What’s more, he earned his high school degree at age 50 just so that he could qualify for the role.
Al’s father had long dreamed that one of his sons would become a farmer and become a blessing for the community. Now, after some twists and turns, this dream was finally being fulfilled.
Blessing Others
The farm’s many organic crops include rice, lettuce, eggplant, turmeric, and dwarf mangos. They even have a contract to supply a local restaurant with basil every week! Mae markets these products and supports the women’s association that has formed in the community.
Through their farm, Al and Mae provide employment for 10 workers, most of whom are mothers from the community. Beyond providing guidance on farm management, Al provides their employees with holistic coaching, reinforced by over twenty signs which pepper the grounds. “Learning is more important than knowing,” says one sign. “Be different,” says another.
Al learned these values when he took the PW business curriculum, and now he’s sharing them with his employees. “I want these reminders to serve as a constant guide in applying these invaluable mindsets to elevate my business,” said Al.
Through your support for Partners Worldwide, entrepreneurs like Al can bless their families and communities by putting their God-given talents to work.
Loving Community
Since its inception, the Senoro farm has made a splash. It’s been certified as an organic producer. It was accredited by the Philippines Agricultural Training Institute and has since welcomed scores of interns to their farm. And in the spring of 2024, the farm launched the Loving Community Initiative.
To manage waste and provide additional income to families, the farm pays households for their kitchen waste, which is then collected and processed into organic fertilizer. The local government purchases this fertilizer, with families receiving a portion of both the earnings and the fertilizer itself.
“We want a farm that is innovative and proactive,” said Mae.
But the good news doesn’t stop there. In 2024, Senoro Green Farm became an official Local Community Institution (LCI) with Partners Worldwide. This positions them to further equip, enable, and empower small-holder farmers in the community.
“To God be all the glory,” said Al.
November 14, 2024