Sustainable Farming, Improving Lives
  • +63 977 802 3776
  • General Santos City, Philippines, 9500
  • by chifarms

The gentle rustling of the coconut leaves amidst the wind is what welcomes Jherom every day as he marches to his working field of coconut trees. The former security guard, restaurant cook and corn farmer has learned to love tending coconut trees and tapping its sap that he is now looking at staying in the same industry until he retires.

Jherom , 35, joined Chi Farms in early 2017 as a coconut tapper in a farm in Alabel, Sarangani Province. He grew up in a family of farmers in Malungon. Back then, he would work under the sun everyday and spend big sums to maintain a patch of his family-owned corn farm but earn a measly amount at the end of the cropping season. An average of P10,000 for a three-month work in the farm was normal from where he came from.
As a partner farmer of Chi Farms, he now looks after 30 coconut trees to tap its sap four times daily. This includes waking up before dawn to get fresh sap. The harvested sap then needed to be put under the fire right away to prevent fermentation. This needs to be done by careful stirring. This needs focus and discipline. Otherwise, the quality and quantity of the product will be compromised.
The details and discipline in preparing the sap syrup have been perfected by Jherom with the help of his wife Aisa who prepares the fireplace and all the materials needed. He is now among the 20 other tappers working in the 8-hectare farm with 750 coconut trees.
A week could earn him P2,000 to P3,000 or up to P12,000 a month. That’s more than three times what he’s earning before.
Jherom can now provide for the needs of his family. “Dati, daw hindi ko mahatag mga kinahanglan nila, bayo kag pagkaon. Pero karon, mapalit na nako ila gusto, bisan dulaan sa akong anak. Imposible ni dati (before, I can hardly provide for the basic needs of food and clothing for them. But now, I can give more than what they need. I can even buy toys now for my son. This used to be impossible)”, he said.
Currently, Jherom’s family is sheltered in the staff house built for them by Chi Farms.
Komportable kami dire kag ara man mga kinahanglan namon (we are comfortable here and we have all that we need.)
Coconut farming isn’t just a livelihood now. It’s what brings together Jherom, his wife and other tappers as families and communities. It has helped them reach their small dreams. For Jherom, small dreams include owning a motorcyle.
Di ko dati magpati nga maka-motor ko (I could not believe before that I could own a motorcycle). The company bought the motorcycle for Jerome to support his mobility in the farm. He would pay it back monthly for two years with no interest.
But what has really changed in the life of Jerome? It’s beyond the income.
Working in the farm changed Jherom’s foresight. He believes he can do more. His vision for his family’s and the company’s future far outweighs the financial gains he is enjoying now. The secret he said is “mangita ka gid rason para palanggaon obra mo, para maglambo upod sini” (finding the reason to love what you do in order to grow in it and with it).
Jherom gets the fulfillment of providing healthy food options to consumers and providing for his family at the same time. “Nalipay pud mi nga makatabang mi buhat sa maayong produkto para sa kaayong lawas (we are happy to be part of providing healthy food for the people).
This is actually parallel to principles of establishing Chi Farms, Chief Executive Officer Clint Junsay said. Chi farms wants farming not only to contribute to the fabric of local economy. It wants its partner farmers to realize their value and to see their own potential to provide healthy food options to consumers and to love farming as a noble profession and important part of the society.
Clint believes farming is the Chi, the life energy, that should be harnessed for holistic growth of the environment, the farmers and the community.
Jherom’s life story teaches us to challenge ourselves constantly. To think that it’s not enough to be satisfied with just enough. If we can do more, why limit ourselves?
“It happens when you believe in something. Like Chi Farms, you just have to believe in your people. We believe in the Filipino farmers and their products”, Clint said.
“Ang income rason gyud na para magtrabaho. Pero mas ganado kung ang kompanya may salig sa imuha. Di na mapalit. Pero molambo ka ana. Molambo pud ang kompanya kay maganahan man ang trabahante kay naay rason kag inspirasyon (the income is an easy reason for us to stay here. But more than that it matters if your partner company have trust in you. You cannot buy that. But it can help you grow. It can help the company grow too because the right people will see that as a reason, as an inspiration).
Morag naa lang ka’y amahan nga mogiya nimo sa imo paglambo ug sa imo kaseguruhan sa kabuhi (It’s just like working with a father who’s there to guide you, to teach you to grow on your own and to secure you).
The company sees Jherom’s commitment and discipline as an asset. “He is now being considered for a more challenging role in the near future. He is next in line”, the CEO said of the hardworking farmer.
Asked where he want to be in the future, Jherom said dinhi na ko sa umahan sa Chi Farms uy, wa nay lain (i wouldn’t want to be anywhere right now but here at Chi Farms). Life for him and for his family is at the farm surrounded by the gentle rustling of coconut trees.

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