A Rice Field that Feeds our Family - My Simple and Humble Farming Stories

“Lumaki Ako sa Farm, Your Honor!”

This line became popular here in the Philippines last year, it maybe funny to someone but honestly, it resonated deeply on me but I am not Rich kid. Both my parents are farmers, and I was born and raised on a farm and that something I’m truly proud of!

Greetings to everyone here on hive! I hope we are all safe and sound wherever you are. This time I'm going to share with you my life as a farmers daughter. Let's go 💪.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve known that we were poor and that our livelihood depended on farming in the middle of the mountains. Most of what we ate were sweet potatoes and vegetables. Looking back, I realize that’s probably why we rarely got sick and we are strong enough to carry heavy sacks of vegetables because we were eating healthy, natural food every day.

Because farm work is physically demanding, we would often get hungry easily if we only eat sweet potatoes and vegetables. My parents seldom bought rice, but only when they could sell some of our harvest. But it was never enough since there were many of us kids, we were 9 siblings. Because of this situation, my parents decided to build a rice field of our own, so we could plant our own rice instead of buying it.

Everything was done manually, from toiling until it becomes rice field. We only used basic tools like shovels, grab hoe, digging bar and some improvised wooden hammers to shape the land into a rice field. I still remember helping out even though I was a child. Eventually, when we got older, it became easier since the rice field was already fully developed and we were just planting and harvesting now.

We were so grateful because finally, we had our own source of rice. We didn’t need to buy it anymore, and even without money, we will never get hungry. Our rice was organic and delicious! Right? Up until now, that same rice field continues to bless our family. Even though each of us has our own family now, we still share in the harvest. It’s very productive and we even harvest more than 100 sacks of grains each harvest, and we plant and harvest twice a year. We had enough to feed our own family!

This was all credit to my parents love and dedication to us as their children. I’m deeply thankful for their hard work and wisdom. Their effort continues to help us all today. Working on the farm is always a family affair, from planting to harvesting, everyone helps out. Even our kids join in, which makes it even more joyful and memorable.

I remember my father always says, “I may not be rich in money, but at least my family never goes hungry. My true wealth is my children and grandchildren.”

And I’ve come to realize that he’s absolutely right, wealth isn’t measured by how much money you have or how big is your house, but by the happiness, love, and togetherness of your family. What truly matters is that we can eat three times of meals a day and live contentedly.

Alright! That’s all about our simple and humble life. Thank you so much for your continued support and for following my simple farming blog. I hope you never get tired of reading my stories. Until next time! Please stay safe and always keep smiling! Mabuhay!