Romulo B. Ayag, or Ka Mulong as he is fondly called, owner of Ka Mulong’s Farm, had to go through a tough life to obtain the hard-earned achievements that he and his family now savor.
In Sariaya, Quezon, a total of 20,000 square-meter land covers Ayag’s farm. 3,000 sqm is designated for natural farming, while the remaining area is set for conventional farming. This 63-year-old farmer was able to purchase and develop a property from the money that he earned from a small restaurant, rice store, and from selling products like balot and animal feed.
Farm as the family’s bread and butter (then and now)
He says that due to poverty, he had to help his father in performing farm tasks at a young age. Owing to these experiences, Ayag had learned the basics of farming, which brought him to where he is today.
Ka Mulong’s farm is a TESDA-accredited training facility on Organic Agriculture Production NC II and is also an authorized school of practical agriculture by the ATI. Ayag has also won several awards and recognition through his farming years. In 2010 and 2013, he was a Gawad Saka Awardee in the category of Regional Outstanding High Value Commercial Crop Farmer.
Their family, along with two permanent farmworkers are from Lopez, Quezon. The farm currently has six farmhands. Ayag’s Farm supports the income of these workers and gets incentives from time to time too. The farmworkers also have the freedom to get any crops that they want from the farm for their own consumption.
