Mr. Leopoldo Mitra, 59 years old, born in December 31, 1951, is an Ikabuhi Microfinance Program (IMP) member whose main source of income is farming. He owned a 9000-square meter of land that is being used for growing crops which is in Iba O’ste, Calumpit, Bulacan. He was married to Mrs. Josie Mitra and they have a daughter and 2 sons namely Paula, Paulo and Jhon Poul Mitra.
Mr. Mitra was a 14 year-extensive user of chemical fertilizer and he had noticed that the chemical inputs that he used have tremendous effect on his land, resulting in a high acidity content. Also due to this practice, Mr. Mitra had experience poisoning incidents that led him to switch to organic farming.
Mr. Mitra started organic farming after attending on the second batch of training and mentoring program on “Organic-based Farm Practices, Social Enterprise Development and Farmer-Clustering” conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture Technicians (SAT) from the Lifebank Foundation, Inc. The training changed how he views farming and health protection.
He has also been convinced that organic farming is a way of ensuring sustainable management of his farm and the environment. He believes that enriching the soil by increasing the population of beneficial microorganisms will ensure crop resilience and at the same time high quality yield. He understands the importance of producing safe and healthy food not only for his family but for others as well.
One of Leopoldos’s plans as his personal advocacy is to encourage more farmers to produce organically grown food for a healthier community. He believes that consumer welfare should come first before profit. He intends to learn more about organic agriculture by joining more trainings and seminars. He will also continue developing his organic farm as a proof that organic agriculture really works.