Just this weekend, I met Dr. Khin Mar Cho, Director at Cornell University in New York City for a farm visit and weekend getaway at the Binahon Agroforestry Farm (BAFF) in Lantapan, Bukidnon and EMV Farm in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

Banana chips are crisp slices of banana plantains which are usually eaten as a snack. Most banana chips are thinly sliced in bite-size servings and deep fried while some are baked and others dehydrated via drying or dehydrator machines.

Deep frying the bananas will make it crisp and crunchy. When the deep fried banana slices are drained and are in room temperature, one can eat them right away. Others enjoy banana chips by quickly dipping the fried chips in sweet syrup or dusted with flavored powders and seasonings.

I always have the notion that Urban Agriculture here in the Philippines is just a cliche. While it may exist, it is usually confined in the really urban cities like Makati and that the agri part is more for tourism and aesthetics. That it is done not for food security but rather because it is the "in" thing. The notion also came from the fact that very few in the subdivisions in Cagayan de Oro where I presently reside have really gardens in their backyard. A house may have 1 Malunggay (Moringa Oleifera) or a few plants of okra (lady fingers) or green leaf onions or even tomatoes.

Last year, Presidential Proclamation no. 469 was signed, declaring April as the official Buwan ng Kalutong Pilipino or Filipino Food Month. The month-long celebration aims to honor our native food, and it debuts this year. While the concept may be similar to Buwan ng Wika, it is still something very new to us Filipinos, that’s why the occasion needs to be discussed.

Good food reinforces good times.

The Municipality of Manolo Fortich through the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) recently celebrated the 3rd FBS Anniversary Celebration which further cemented Bukidnon with its title as “Food Basket in Mindanao”. The already established Manolo Fortich Farm Business School Foods and Agri-product Processors Association, Inc. (MFFBSFAPPA, Inc.) is an offshoot of the two batches of trainings on Farm Business School conducted by ATI-RTC X in November 2015.

Champorado is a rice porridge variation which uses unadulterated chocolate known as tableya. I like having champorado for breakfast, I grew up pairing it with buwad (dried fish) or buwad bolinao (anchovies). I know a lot of people like that odd sweet-salty combination teasing the taste buds but nevertheless palatable.