Rotary Club of Tuguegarao: Organic Vegetable Demo Farm Project
	Rotarian and Anns during one of its field monitoring and evaluation of the Club's Organic Vegatable Demo Farm at Cagayan National High School - Linao Annex, Tuguegarao City. The garden was established and maintained by high students/members of the Agri Club.

ROTARY CLUB GOES NATURAL

Joe S.E. Poblete

Organic farming is one of the present trends in agricultural development. This is a response to the prevalent problems on food related diseases. Organic farming uses natural farming inputs to grow crops such as animal manure and compost as fertilizers, decoction of hot pepper and planting of rosé bungle as insect pest control. Through those practices, the use of chemical farm inputs is avoided. Hence, fruits and vegetables produced through this system of farming are natural and good for the health. Since human body is consists of living cells it needs fresh foods with no contaminants to stay healthy.

The Rotary Club of Tuguegarao, headed by Pastor Ross Resuello supported this program of the government by establishing an organic vegetable demo garden at Cagayan National High School- Linao Annex last July 15, 2004. This is a joint project of Rotary Club of Tuguegarao and Agri-Club of the school. Last September 20, 2004, the Rotarians visited the project and found out that it was

successfully implemented. The area was planted with robust multiple vegetable crops such as jute, ampalaya, squash, okra, pigeon pea, and eggplant. Along its fence were crawling luffa, Malabar spinach and lima beans. The Rotarians had an initial harvest of approximately 10 kg. of ampalaya fruits, ampalaya leaves, squash flowers and jute. Okra and eggplant are in their flowering stage by next month they are ready for harvest. Prior to the Rotarians visit, the school club has already marketed crops from the garden and earned P950.00.

The universal principle of sowing and reaping took effect. The Rotarians have sown freely, however, they refuse to harvest for free, and they paid the vegetables that they harvested. The students’ in charge of the project reluctantly received the payment. The Rotarians are truly generous people, the school is forever grateful to them. As they go natural, we at the Cagayan National High School- Linao Annex declare - LONG LIVE ROTARIANS, may your tribe increase!