The traditional agrarian narrative of Western Visayas depicts farmers as figures of strength and endurance—feet dug deep in the soil, constrained by acreage, and caught in a cycle of returns that barely breaks even. It’s a mindset shaped by decades of colonial-era agricultural models: the belief that without vast tracts of land, farming cannot be a dignified, profitable enterprise.
In 2014, Al and Mae Senoro set out to change that narrative.
Spanning a compact 1.6 hectares in Bago, Negros Occidental, Senoro Green Farm (SGF) was established as a deliberate re-engineering of what local agriculture could look like. Al, a mechanical engineer, handles the planning and machinery, fabricating equipment like hammer mills on-site. His wife, Mae, a chemical engineer, executes the day-to-day operational systems. Their goal was straightforward, says Mae: to change the public’s perception of farming—that it could be a scientific, enterprising, and noble vocation.
Building a sustainable farm, however, came with a cost. When the African Swine Fever (ASF) swept through the province in early 2023, SGF suffered devastating losses. At the time, their soil-enrichment systems relied heavily on livestock manure, keeping a significant portion of their small acreage dedicated to swine production.
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| From Seed to Harvest: Al Senoro inspects farm plots alongside young vegetable seedlings, while local community mothers tend to the plants and organic crops in the farm's gardens. |
Rather than shutting down, the couple pivoted. They cleared out the empty pigpens (tangkal) and converted them into a Training Center for Organic Fertilizer Production. Combining vermicasting, mudpress from local sugar mills, carbonized rice hull, and beneficial microorganism concoctions, they developed a high-grade organic fertilizer. Now awaiting final certification to be sold commercially at ₱450 per 50-kilogram sack, the initiative turned an operational disaster into a zero-waste input system that powers the entire farm.
For Al and Mae, the pivot reflected their three core principles for SGF. “When you have a farm,” says Mae, “you have to cultivate, keep, and be fruitful. Those are the three principles you need for inner growth, and that’s what the farm lives by.” It was proof that agricultural sustainability depends less on the size of the land, and more on the resourcefulness of the people working it.
Senoro Green Farm’s resilience was tested long before the ASF outbreak. For the first five years of SGF’s operation, public skepticism—even from their neighbors—was high. In a region accustomed to conventional high-yield chemical farming, organic methods were widely dismissed as an impractical luxury—something reserved strictly for the wealthy, the elderly, or the sick.
As the first recognized Slow Food Organic Farm in the area, SGF treats the Slow Food concept not just as a trend, but as a necessary way of life. They spent years demonstrating that soil health directly dictates human longevity. Over time, the results spoke for themselves. The same neighbors who doubted the farm’s viability began to see the tangible physical and economic returns of chemical-free cultivation.
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| Enriching the Soil: Community members work together in the garden, powered by SGF’s nutrient-rich organic fertilizer to produce healthy, chemical-free crops like eggplants. |
While the technology on the farm is driven by engineering and science, its true heart belongs to the community.
SGF allocates nearly a hectare of its land—more than half the entire property—to a community garden run by the SGF Loving Community Mothers. Comprising around 80 local women, nearly 40 percent of whom are senior citizens, the group practices zero-waste organic vegetable farming. Household kitchen scraps from the members are collected and converted by SGF into rich compost, which is then fed back into the soil.
This economic model is built on responsible stewardship: SGF provides the land, technical assistance, and organic inputs without taking a single centavo from the harvest. Every peso earned from selling organic produce in local markets stays in the hands of the mothers. Recognized by the Department of Agriculture - Negros Island Region (DA-NIR) as a benchmark model for community-based agriculture, the initiative has received state grants for seedlings and farm tools, serving as an operational template for other rural organizations across the province.
Passing this heritage forward, however, requires reaching the household level. Working alongside the mothers on weekends are their children and grandchildren. Through SGF’s youth programs, young people are pulled out of the classroom and onto the field—not for theoretical lectures, but to see firsthand that sustainable agriculture is both technologically advanced and commercially viable.
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| The Stewards of SGF: Founders Al and Mae Senoro (center) alongside creative, farm-fresh culinary creations topped with edible flowers harvested directly from their organic fields. |
By actively engaging in soil preparation, organic harvesting, and farm operations, the younger generation undergoes a shift in perspective. Farming stops looking like backbreaking, low-status labor and starts unfolding as a modern, dignified career. The daily work forms habits; the habits shape character; and the character builds a growth-oriented mindset that’s capable of carrying Negrense agriculture into the future.
Agricultural heritage is often spoken of as something preserved in history books or museum displays. That heritage is living, breathing, and hands-on at Senoro Green Farm. It is measured in the dignity restored to elder matriarchs tending communal plots, and in the pride of young Negrenses realizing their soil can sustain them in the future.
As Al Senoro puts it simply: "Senoro Green Farm is just a vehicle to do good for others."
Writer: John Mari A. Marcelo
Photos: Kim Villaluna
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