Gilbert Africano

“We can’t go out anymore because we need to follow the rules and stay safe. As farmers the hard life we live has gotten harder, and the poor life we have has become poorer”.

Gilbert Africano is a farmer from Ilocos Norte, a province located in the Philippines. Although he has been farming his whole life, as his father did and his father’s father did, he notes how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected his trade. “Life is becoming harder and harder for us farmers. High price for our fertilizer and pesticide, but when we harvest, our crops are totally in despair”. Gilbert is one of many farmers struggling due to unfair trading prices, which can mean fewer profits.

Gilbert told me about how he has to grow two different types of crops to make ends meet. “I have to plow the fields and clear all the grass before growing the garlic. Also, we have to do everything manually, which is very tiring. Then, I need to water the field before planting, and then plant each clove one by one. They have to be at least 20cm apart. After planting, I need to put in fertilizer.” Gilbert’s job is infinitely harder without modern luxuries like tractors or automatic planters than in first-world countries.

Unfair trade practices aren’t the only things bringing trouble to Gilbert Africano. The Philippines suffers from many tornadoes and tropical storms throughout the year, which Gilbert says is dangerous for farmers and their crops. The most recent storm, tropical storm Meiji, appeared on April 10, 2022, killing dozens and ruining approximately 230 hectares of crops. Not only that, but tropical storms and typhoons bring heavy rain with them, drowning the crops and triggering secondary disasters such as landslides and flooding.

After planting, there is a 3-4 month period when Gilbert has to tend to the crops. Because there isn’t too much work to do, he often goes to town to look for odd jobs to supplement his income. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented any chance of this happening.

Despite all of this, Gilbert still has hope for the future. “The faith we have in the Lord helps us keep working. He gives us hope that someday there will be a time when all the farmers like me will rejoice, not because we are rich, but because we are valued as food providers.”