This December break, I?ve spent my most of my time in the rural areas of Bulacan together with family and establishing a sustainable farm for the village – Villa Espanola.

This project was the culmination of weeks of planning and preparation from gathering materials to designing the plan for the village garden.

The first phase of the project was gathering ideas from a local organic farm. This particular farm uses organic compost and bamboo fences to vertically grow crops. Hence, we decided to buy soil from this organic farm to not only ensure excellent growth conditions for our plants but also support our local farm.

The second phase was setting up the area and planting a perimeter fence on the first area. Here, we used dried wood that were uprooted in the recent typhoon.

We also used broken rubber tyres, which are largely non-biodegradable as pots for our plants.

Lastly, together with my cousins, I?ve painted and designed used tin cans as a substitute for more expensive terracotta pots.

After all this has been prepared. We proceeded to assemble the vertical farm using reused aluminum wires as support. Pechay and tomato plants were planted to not only allow for an aesthetically pleasing garden but also serve as a source of food supply for the village.

I am extremely proud of the project that I, together with my family, was able to accomplish during the break. The village would not only have fresher air, cleaner surroundings, greener atmosphere but it would also have a healthy garden close-by.

I believe that this project could be used in many other villages. And its success proves that creating an impact in our communities shouldn?t be limited by our age or financial capacity.