CSR Programs

About the Program

Recognizing the need to teach self-sufficiency to the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte, LANDBANK, through the LANDBANK Countryside Development Foundation, Inc. (LCDFI), developed the “Bangon Mini-Farms Program: Sustainable Integrated Organic and Natural Mini-Farm Program”, a holistic livelihood program (from training to marketing). 

The Bangon Program, rolled out in January 2014, is an innovative livelihood program that seeks to provide both daily sustenance and steady and increased income for a small farmer family to address the advocacy “Ending Hunger and Poverty, One-Farmer Family at a time.”

Each mini-farm features an intensive farming scheme consisting of a natural (odorless) piggery, free-ranging chicken coop, a fish pond, vegetable production, a kitchen/medicinal garden, and a small farmer’s house-all contained in a 1,000 square meter lot area.

It is a systems approach consisting of a series of Trainings – Technology Transfer Execution workshops, showing how one thousand (1,000) square meter farms with twenty four (24) square meter pig houses, using the natural, organic, and microbial technology, with a support organization, are networked into a supply chain.

Mr. Gil Carandang, recognized as the “Father of Organic Farming in the Philippines”, conducted the hands-on training which highly promoted natural organic farming as a more productive and cost-efficient means of livelihood. 

The trainings and seminars for pilot farms conducted were:

• Farm-tested Composting and Bio-Organic Preparations
• Protocols for Organic and Natural Vegetable Farming
• Protocols for Natural Piggery
• Protocols for Urban Gardening
• Weather Mitigants

Results and Impact

There were Four (4) Workshop series that were implemented at the following areas:

• Bangon Alpha-Sector - Capoocan, Leyte, January 2014
• Bangon Bravo-Sector - Tacloban City, Leyte, February 2014
• Bangon Charlie-Sector - Palo, Leyte, March 2014
• Bangon Delta-Sector - Tabango, Leyte, May 2014

Follow-up sessions on Review of Technology and Field Preparations, Test Production of Vegetables and Pigs, and Test Marketing and Full Pig-Growing Cycle were also given in 3 to 4 week intervals. 

Mini-farms were organized into Sectors and Clusters strategically located so farmers can plan for production, have a support organization, bring and sell their own organically-grown produce, and establish a chain of farmer’s markets for the farmer-partners.