Earth-friendly farms that heal

MANILA, Philippines - “Farming has an innate ability to heal,” Dr. Leonido Naranja of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños and the man behind the concept farming design of La Huerta Farms and Residences introduced the realty development project as if it’s a new-found cure-all medicine.

La Huerta Farms and Residences is a 50-hectare Sta. Lucia Land Inc. (SLLI) realty development in Calamba, Laguna that offers homeowners an opportunity to cultivate their own farms and enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle right in their own backyard.

La Huerta features four concept farm design clusters, namely: El Sol (The Sun); El Cielo (The Sky); La Luna (The Moon); and La Lluvia (The Rain), each featuring a different edible landscaping to promote health and wellness in an expertly maintained natural environment.

Dr. Naranja continued that farming is only seen today as a source of sustenance. But in the olden times, it was the way of life of many peoples and communities as their whole life revolves around farming and nature.

Farming, as an activity, gives the body a total workout—carrying of loads, walking, body bending and twisting—that will help the body break a good sweat. Those who do traditional farming appear to be lean and strong because they manually attend to their lands and thus, shed the “sweat of the earth”.

According to Eduardo U. Tirona, President of Orchard Property Marketing Corporation (OPMC), La Huerta’s sole marketing network, “La Huerta Farm and Residential Estates features good-sized farm lots; ranging from 700 sqm that is fit for a backyard gardener or hobbyist, to as big as 3,000 sqm for agricultural entrepreneurs, where a farm lot owner can have an “agricultural gym” while enjoying his or her farm.”

Moreover, the fresh produce from the same farm can be a good source of natural nourishment. This benefits a person’s health as the freshness of food retains most of the nutrients that are lost in food processing; and all these coming from one’s own backyard.

The dynamism of the whole farming process, on the other hand, poses a good challenge to keep the mind active. One needs mental focus and a keen eye for details, such as weather and atmospheric changes, soil condition, and others, to be able to manage the entire activity.

“Both the business and technical side of farming require certain mental acumen before crops and livestock are acquired and eventually harvested. At La Huerta Farms and Residences, the farm lot owners will be assisted in both areas through an in-house technical and agri-business training,” Tomas P. Lorenzo, Lapanday Properties president, said.

Dr. Naranja added that La Huerta garden management professionals and horticulturists will provide farm lot owners with technical support and training seminars on crop production and processing, organic farming, hydroponics, composting and other earth-friendly agricultural practices.

Earth-friendly farming is the backbone of La Huerta’s farming clusters. The El Sol cluster features plants and trees with medicinal and therapeutic benefits while El Cielo includes an ostrich farm, organic vegetable and herb gardens, and pili nut farms. The La Luna cluster, on the other hand, is where coffee and cacao, together with Bignay and other fruit wines, are grown; whereas tropical palms and flower farms thrive in the La Lluvia cluster.