Isabel

Isabel Obando is a 28 year old single woman with one child. Her daughter is 6 years old and currently attends kinder garten. She lives with her parents in the village of Ablayan which is in the town of Dalaguete in Cebu province. To support her child, Isabel started farming vegetables year 2015. From her many previous harvest, she was able to build a separate room where she and her child are staying.

Isabel had bought a land way before she started farming from her saved salaries. The land is about 1.5 hectares and it is found in the mountain. She had to walk up and down a hill and pass by a creek. She has been growing carrots and chinese cabbages for the last three years. From her own sales she had build a room for the two of them and support her parents in dealing with the household needs. From time to time Isabel employ two workers to help her in the farm especially during harvest where her produce are transported by the workers using a big basket and carry it on their back. All of her produce are being sold in the Mantalongon trading centre. She is currently harvesting carrots the day I visited and the selling price is 35 pesos per kilo.

To access more working capital to finance her farm, Isabel applied for her third loan to the MFI, Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative. She will use the loan money to buy additional farm inputs such as fertilisers and crop protection products. These will help Isabel to produce quality crops in her future harvest.

She will continue farming for she find it a good source of income to support their needs.