The word “Bahandi” in the Cebuano dialect which means treasure, riches, or wealth depicts an abundance of resources and material possessions. We proclaim that our local farmers are our very own bahandi since they are feeding the whole nation. Producing food which requires hard work and resilience is a noble effort.

This book is an open recognition to the efforts, sacrifices and eventual triumph of our farmers from all walks of life. In this particular edition, we have featured more women farmers, young farmers, our LS partners as well as a rebel-returnee and a former BJMP-inmate whom both had no second thoughts about venturing in organic farming as a way of life. We take pride in the inclusion of a diverse set of soil tillers to let the readers and the general public know that there is indeed money in agriculture and that the very soil we step on is a great equalizer.

It is also the intent of this book to encourage the younger generation that there are financial and emotional rewards when engaging in organic agriculture.

The stories featured in this book are truly inspiring. Majority of our consumers have little or no idea about the hard work, the love and passion that our farmers poured into the food that are in their tables. Also, this book provides a glimpse of our farmer’s lives, their unfolding strength of character and the necessary transformations they went through.

This second collection of inspiring stories is our tribute to our farmers, our BAHANDI, our heroes.

Bahandi (Northwind Edition) by the numbers:

 102 pages from cover to cover
 15 featured farmers’ and agripreneur stories
 5 of which are women farmers and agripreneurs
 3 Award-Winning farmers
 2 ATI scholars’ testimonies
 2 young farmers
 1 rebel-returnee story about fostering peace in conflict and war-torn areas in Lanao del Norte
 1 success story of a former-BJMP inmate
 1 RIC-related story
 1 4H’er story
 1 story on Making the Success Story Videos (Travelogue)
 1 How-to-Guide on How to be a Learning Site (LS)

This is the second collection of farmers' success stories produced and published by the ATI-RTC X which was formally launched on Monday January 29, 2018 at the ATI Hall in Diliman, Quezon City.