Agripreneur in Focus: Nanay Yoly

Yolanda C. Riguer, well known as Nanay Yoly, 53 years of age, is a resident of Pundicion St. Sta Cruz, Angat, Bulacan. She was married to Emerico Riguer and has three gifted sons. She graduated at the University of the East Recto with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Accounting. She’s a member of Bulacan Association of Natural Farmers (BANAFAR), Sta Cruz Farmers Association and chairman of Angat Organic Farmer’s Association. Nanay Yoly is one of the first batch of Lifebank’s Center for Bayanihan Economics Agripreneur graduates.

It was in year 2005 when her husband was diagnosed with liver disease, gall bladder stone and fatty liver. For her, this was a big challenge and she believed that it happened because God has a purpose for her to deal with. They reach the help of traditional doctors but it was a failure. Somebody told them to seek some help of an alternative medicine and then she realize that most of the disease came from the food that we intake and how the way we live. Then, she decided to commit on planting on their land by means of organic approach. Planning of this was difficult for them because before they let other people do farming in their land, but now they want to involve her life and family with this venture.

With the help of Miss Dayao from the Department of Agriculture Provincial Office, she was able to attend different seminars of DAR about organic agriculture and Integrated Farming Bio-System Training. Through this, they started to produce safe and chemical free rice, vegetables and some animals for their home consumption. Along the way, they faced several struggles, trial and errors in producing organically grown crops but the ‘never give up’ attitude let them pursue to engage for more trainings and seminars to improve their farming system like Palay Check Farmer’s Field School, PALAYAMANAN, Climate Change Awareness, Organic Agriculture Production (Raise Organic Hogs) NC II and so on.

After all helpful trainings, they find ways to produce more and safer foods in her farm that have a organic standards and time to time, several farmers went to visit her farm to witness the way she grow her crops without any commercial inputs. She established her market and clients like the Angat Municipal, Norzagaray Municipal, Sta. Maria Municipal, and Wild Crafted Incorporated. She is taking a stand to create an army of farmers who are able to serve and protect the community and their family by means of environmentally safe techniques. And now, she is one the famous farmers in the municipality of Angat and her advocacy in the promotion of organic farming give ways to other farmers to engage in this ideal technology and now, some of the farmers in her locality are now in transition and conversion period from conventional to organic approach.

Nanay Yoly and his husband were nominated as “Outstanding Farming Family” by the municipality of Malolos, Bulacan for Gawad Saka. Their farm was also recognized by both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Reform as one of the demo farms in Bulacan. Her farm namely, “Munting Paraiso ni Yoly Farm” is now certified as Learning Site by Agricultural Training Institute.