Farming isn’t just for the poor, the uneducated, or those living in the mountains; it's for anyone whose heart truly belongs to the land. - A story of a girl who born and raised as a farmer.

Hello, Hive Gardeners! nice to meet you all, I'm a new member here, and I’d love to share my farming life and experiences with you.

Since I was a child, we've been working in the farm, because it is always been our primary source of living/income. We plant various kinds of crops and even have a rice fields. Every morning, our parents wake us up early so we can start working before the sun gets too hot at noon. This routine is part of our daily life, we only rest when it's raining heavily, when there is typhoon or when we're sick or having a fever. I remember that there are times when we still work in the rain, wearing raincoats to keep ourselves from getting soaked.

Our parents always remind us that we need to work so we can afford our education and have food on our table. With nine siblings in the family, some of the older ones are in school, while we as the younger ones stay at home to help our parents in the farm. On weekends, our older siblings return home to help out too. Most of the work we do involves planting and harvesting crops like sweet potatoes, corn, Baguio beans, and sweet peas. During harvest season, we carry the produce and walk down to the lowlands where the market is, since there are no vehicles in our mountain village. Once our produce sold, we are going to buy basic household needs such as oil, soap, shampoo, sugar and salt. If there is money left we can buy bread or a fish.

Sometimes, when a typhoon hits, our vegetables did not survive, so we have to start planting all over again. Because of this, our parents decided to create a rice field so we would always have rice, even though we don't have money. At least we can eat rice, because rice is good to eat that sweet potato. They brought all of us to the area where we would build the rice field, and we worked together all day under the heat of the sun until all the plots were completed.That rice field still exists today, now my siblings and I take turns in planting it.

While I was studying, I stayed away from home, but every weekend or any day without classes, I return home to help my parents on the farm. This became my routine until I graduated from college. Although I’ve finished my studies, I’m now working as a farmer and I’m proud of it. Being born and raised in farm is not to be shamed but to be proud of. I’ve come to deeply understand that without farmers, there would be no food on our tables.

Today, I’m married to a farmer, and farming is our primary source of income. On our farm, we grow a variety of crops such as potatoes, carrots, chayote, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and other vegetables suitable on our land. Even though I hold a degree, I’m proud to be a farmer. Nothing compare because we manage our own time, without time ins or time outs, and we can rest when we feel tired or not feeling well. The work may be under the sun or rain, but it teaches us a lot of patience, demands hard work, and reminds us to stay humble.

Some people judge me for working on the farm even though I finished my studies. But I choose to ignore them because this is my life, and only I can decide what’s best for me and my children. I know what I want, and I know what’s right for my family. Many farmers earn well during harvest but managing that income can be challenging without proper financial knowledge. It's an advantage for me that I finished my study, I apply what I learned to ensure our earnings are handled wisely and no one takes advantage of us.

It’s true that when you're born and raised as a farmer, the spirit of farming stays in your heart. Even after finishing our studies, we can always return to our roots and apply what we've learned in any path we choose. Education doesn’t mean turning your back on where you came from. It’s about having the freedom to choose your direction. Being a farmer doesn’t make someone less valuable or less capable. Everyone has their own perspective, and we should respect that. Farming isn’t just for the poor, uneducated, or those who didn’t finish school, t’s for anyone with the passion and dedication to do it.