Paula Salvador
De La Salle University Manila
Pia Manalastas
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The business wants the simple phrase of “Farm to Table” to come alive thru their innovation of making the Idle Lands here in the Philippines reach their full potential by the proper planning of specific seedlings or crops to be planted in a particular area for it to be harvested in due time. Doing the said initiative would then help many UN SGDs – No Poverty, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Life on land, and another business goal to a Zero Hunger.
Dream Agritech's innovation is to optimize the idle lands in the Philippines for the produce to be readily available to each Filipino. The company's innovation will reduce the scarcity of farm produce since another network of supply and distribution channels will be opened; hence, a lot of opportunities will be available—decent employment, sustainability both in the land asset and even for the workforce, and most of all answering the need for more source and channel for the food bank. This will also ensure the quality of produce that will reach the homes of individual consumers since it is home-grown and cultivated by the most hardworking, dedicated Filipino Farmers. It is seen by the volume of produce that has been delivered thru businesses to consumers and their growing and flourishing business to business channel.
Over the years, they have worked with different sectors for their little shop to be fully equipped in agriculture since they wanted to expound their service offerings. That will also be an advantage since they can tap into more Sustainable Development Goals; hence, they will be more equipped to help the community.
Hunger comes in different forms, whether emotional, spiritual, or even physical, although, in the Philippines, Food Hunger is one of the leading causes of death. According to CNN, "Of the 11.8%, the agency said 9.5% or 2.4 million families experienced moderate hunger or being hungry 'only once' or 'a few times,' while 599,000 families, or 2.3% of all households, suffered from severe hunger or hunger was experienced 'often' or 'always' during the last quarter of 2022."
Staff, C. (2023, January 19). SWS: More Filipino families went hungry in the final months of 2022. CNN. https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/1/19/SWS-Q4-2022-hunger-survey.html
Mr. Dakila Olfindo is an Agriculture graduate from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, a licensed Agriculturist and a member of Young Professionals for Agricultural Development.
Mr. Olfindo graduated from the University of the Philippines at Los Banos with a degree in Agriculture, majoring in Horticulture, specializing in Crop Production and Management of Fruit and Plantation Crops. After getting his degree, he could work for two years. From his work experience, he exposed and involved himself in different activities that led him to see the untapped potential of idle lands in the Philippines. As Mr. Olfindo said, “I saw the need for Farm Planning,” his urge to make a difference commenced.
His ocular visits to some farms overwhelmed him with our rich resources. Still, it needs to be better performing and optimized in production due to incorrect trees planted in the area, little to no irrigation, and poorly managed by the landowners. Hence his eagerness to bring about change in this field was fueled even more. Another point he highlighted was loss in terms of money, time, and effort. Many farm owners are professionals based in the metro and need to gain the proper knowledge on how to run a farm properly. They have little to no background in farming or even running a business, hence the loss in all aspects. This could be prevented with proper education and mentorship—Dream Agritech is the perfect shop to go to. “We wanted our little shop to have everything under one roof.” Dream Agritech houses different agriculturist with a different specialization that is very much ready to serve. They offer several services such as farm planning, farm monitoring, farm management, and training and seminars.
Dream Agritech has already reached its short-term goal, which is turning lands “Idle” into “Ideal.” With this, they have already contributed to a volume of the number of products that can be readily available to consumers and with the assurance that the quality of which is at its finest. “Agriculture is a very social thing.” They want to impact the best practice in agriculture to inspire other farm owners and even the farmers themselves to practice the most optimal, efficient, and effective way of farming.
“We want kids to see that agriculture as a viable option for the career path.” He wants to inform his audience that agriculture can also be a profession and is not merely doing dirty tasks. He actively promotes proper education about farming and the industry since he wants more people to know about the area. As mentioned, “Even the farmers, when they see their kids, they would say—We are working hard for you not to be a farmer.” This is the notion that Mr. Olfindo would want to change, since without the line of succession of farmers, we wouldn’t be able to sustain the needs of our country. Farmers think it is only a task for the less fortunate, people who lack the opportunity in the far-flunked areas, and once you have been a farmer, you can never go out of the cycle. Farmers are the main reason we have food on our table because of their pure labor-intensive hard work; hence, looking down on them and having these notions could not equate to everything they have done for us. Having this as one of his long-term goals would make a difference in this notion since it has been a cycle that has never been corrected, and sadly still think of it as a norm.
Economic activity was activated by having regular employment and positive cash flow due to proper planning of the farm usage and even for the workforce, supply chain, and distribution network. When doing his consultations, as mentioned, there are always two types of farm owners – the ones who do not know what to do with their land and take the usual route of waiting for the land to appreciate its value and the other one who is eager enough to make use of their land. Both clients are welcome in Dream Agritech’s little shop and welcome to express their whereabouts. “We want to stimulate and encourage investment in the agriculture sector.” With the increased investment in the agriculture sector, food supply is readily available; hence, a volume of employees would be required to equate to the increased workforce needed.
“To date, we have already helped 120 hectares of land. This is previously unproductive land.” It is their pride and joy to have been part of the success of turning these unproductive lands into lands that not only produce products that are export quality but also change the employment scheme in the agriculture sector. Integrated into the phases to be launched is that regular employment for farmers for the specific land would commence since there is already proper planning for the produce; hence there will be a need for a normal posting of the workforce.
Exact figures for the employment rate weren’t disclosed due to Data Privacy, but it was mentioned that the employment rate was significantly changed since a job needs to be done. Aside from this, other farm owners let their farmers get the same produce they sell to consumers to be brought to their homes since this is also to celebrate and enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Mr. Olfindo highlighted the use of chemicals that directly impacts the Environment.
Dream Agritech is not a hardline organic or hardline conventional producer, but they want to look at the middle ground since they still believe that there are still best practices for each type of production. It is just a matter of proper usage and disposal of the chemicals used. One of the points he elaborated is the overuse of chemicals that will lead to harmful effects in the chain supply—environment, produce, and consumer which in the long run might also lead to a bigger problem since an outbreak of epidemic might arise if consumers are directly taking in the produce that carries many chemicals. As mentioned, when chemicals are overused to protect the produce, the next time the crop or produce will be, pests will be much more resistant to the chemical used; hence, a higher dosage of chemical will be used. As highlighted, with proper planning, proper timing of spraying, and proper crop spacing, we can mitigate the harmful impact and decrease the dosage of chemicals used.
Another point Mr. Olfindo pointed out is about Water Conservation. Although the Philippines is surrounded by water since we are an Archipelagic country, “We do see that we have limited fresh water supply.” Through proper water management, soil management, and farm planning, even the farm lots that were once thought could not be optimized can be turned into one of the most effective, efficient, and prosperous farm lots. These areas usually do not have unlimited access to roads; hence, the challenge for Mr. Olfindo’s team is to reach and optimize these areas.
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Mr. Dakila I. Olfindo, CEO
Dream Agritech is a business that focuses on making “Idle” lands into “Ideal” lands so that both landowners, consumers, and, most significantly, our hardworking Filipino Farmers will benefit mutually. The business model offers various services – farm planning, retainer/monitoring services, and training and seminars. They are also bridging the notion that the agriculture industry is solely for people who are into farming; hence, professionals like engineers, marketers, and even in the legal sector take part in building the business model that caters to consumers who want to optimize the potential of their idle land.