Young farmer-engineer grows hydroponics lettuce in Batac City

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

BATAC CITY—Lettuce is known as a cool-season plant that grows well in a cold climate like Baguio in the Philippines. Who would think that growing this high value crop is quite easy and sustainable for a young farmer engineer who left a promising career in an established firm and followed his dad’s footsteps that is farming.

For almost a year now, the Romaine Organics which specializes in organic farming, gourmet and hydroponics continue to inspire local farmers here to go beyond traditional and become techno-savvy.

John Lei Ganiron, 27, a graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Mariano Marcos State University is a pioneer in soil-less farming or the so-called hydroponics in Batac City.

In just a span of two weeks, his hydroponics lettuce grown on a 15-square meter green house, which he set up beside their Batac residence is now ready for harvest.

Mr. Ganiron said Romaine Organics is using automated hydroponics film technique system to grow this high value crop in a controlled environment.

“With 30 channels hosting 320 lettuce plants on a 15-square meter area. The whole system only activates (automatic ON/OFF) five times a day and is inactive at night time. It is equipped with a programmable irrigation system that can be set on your chosen schedule. Ph (acidity/alkalinity), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), DO (Dissolved Oxygen) and Temperature levels are also being regulated to ensure the plants optimum growth,” said Mr. Ganiron as he readily shares the technology to interested farmers.

Apart from the greenhouse the Ganiron family maintains beside their house, they also developed a more or less three-hectare organic farm in San Mateo village planted with various high value crops such as sweet and American peppers, salad and cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and squash among others. At the same site, they are also engaged in tilapia- and catfish-raising.

Just recently, the Agricultural Training Institute backed by the city government here tapped the Romaine Organics farm as a learning site for farmers. The new school was launched in July where the father and son tandem share their experience and best practices to farmers.

According to John Lei, hydroponics offers a huge potential in sustainable agriculture.

With a continuous depletion of natural resources, hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral-nutrient solutions offers an alternative farming practice to farmers to diversify their crops and improve their productivity.

“Innovate and don't just duplicate,” this is the challenge of John Lei to other farmers out there who takes pride of being a farmer himself.

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