Episode 11: Organic Farming Basics: Get Your Farm Certified with Patrick Belisario

Good and Green

Chit Juan explores the essentials of organic farming with Patrick Belisario on this episode of the Good and Green Podcast. Patrick shares his journey into organic agriculture, discussing the differences between natural and organic farming and what it takes to transition from chemical-based to certified organic methods. Listeners will learn about regenerative agriculture and its benefits for soil health and ecosystem balance. Patrick also explains the organic certification process and offers insights into the growth of the Philippine organic movement, along with practical steps to make your farm both green and certified.

GUEST BIO:

Patrick Belisario has been a registered professional agricultural engineer since 1995 and has extensive experience in developing NGO, rural enterprises, agri enterprises, financing, and sustainable agri enterprises. He also organized the Organic Navigation Center of the Philippines and has 15 years of experience as an independent consultant, researcher, writer, international organic and fair trade inspector, organic grower group certification, geographical indication technical expert, industry development, micro entrepreneur, as well as a bean to bar chocolate manufacturer among others.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• Patrick’s journey into organic farming
• Natural vs. organic farming: key distinctions every farmer should know
• JADAM: a unique, sustainable approach to low-cost farming
• Regenerative agriculture: restoring soil health and ecosystem balance
• Converting from chemical to organic farming
• Organic certification basics: a step-by-step guide to getting certified
• The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)
• Patrick’s vision for the future of the Philippine organic movement

QUOTES:

• Organic has a standard. It's based on a standard.
• Natural farming has no standard.
• This is the common misconception because organic is not expensive.
• If you want to export, then you have to get a professional certification body so that you can sell your product to the export market.
• Chemical agriculture is growing only around 1 percent globally, but the organic sector is growing around 10 to 50 percent per year depending on the country.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Follow Patrick on LinkedIn.
• Jadam Organic Farming
• Naturland
• IFOAM Organics International

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