Good and Green
The Good and Green Podcast, hosted by sustainability advocate Chit Juan, was created for the purpose of helping social entrepreneurs overcome challenges and grow impactful ventures that drive meaningful change. Each week, we share the tools, strategies, and stories that empower changemakers to build businesses with purpose. Whether you're launching your dream social enterprise or looking for fresh inspiration, this podcast is your go-to space for practical insights and uplifting conversations. Let's create a brighter, more sustainable future together!
Good and Green
Episode 42: Why Starting Small Is the Most Beautiful Way to Farm with Turo Tolentino and Andrea Alforte
Chit Juan sits down with the co-founders of ARTFARM Sustainable Solutions to explore how a small family-run farm in Bay, Laguna evolved into a certified organic and Slow Food-recognized enterprise. From surviving a natural disaster to building a regenerative, technology-enabled, and community-driven farming model, this conversation offers insight into resilience, innovation, and how sustainable farming can create both livelihood and impact.
GUEST BIO:
ARTFARM was co-founded in 2011 by Turo Tolentino and Andrea Alforte as a small-scale farming venture that evolved from hydroponics into a certified organic, regenerative agriculture enterprise specializing in high-value salad crops. Turo is an agriculture professional trained in horticulture and regenerative composting, with extensive experience supporting farmers through agribusiness entrepreneurship and organic certification work. Andrea brings a background in human ecology, social enterprise, and sustainability education, leading ARTFARM’s value-added processing, community engagement, and training programs. Together, they run ARTFARM Sustainable Solutions, a circular, zero-waste farm model recognized as a Slow Food Farm and a Top 10 Social Enterprise in the BPI Sinag Challenge.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- How ARTFARM transitioned from hydroponics to soil-based organic and regenerative farming.
- Why small-scale farms can be productive, resilient, and financially viable.
- The role of family, diversification, and technology in sustaining a farm business.
- How composting, soil health, and minimal tillage support long-term productivity.
- Sharing knowledge through training, consultancy, and community-based farming models.
QUOTES:
- We have always been looking for solutions that will be more sustainable over the longer term. —Andrea Alforte
- The key is to diversify your production, the products that you are offering. —Andrea Alforte
- Since our land is limited, our consulting service is our way of expanding our production area. —Turo Tolentino
- Just make the first step. Take a small plot. Plant something. —Turo Tolentino
- Anything good and anything green that you can do, you can do it at home. You teach it to your kids. —Andrea Alforte
LINKS or RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Connect with ARTFARM:
- ARTFARM Sustainable Solutions on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/artfarmph
- ARTFARM on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/artfarm.ph/
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
- Subscribe to the Good and Green Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
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- Subscribe to EchoNews on LinkedIn.
Purchase Brew: Cafe, Coffee. Kape at Echostore.ph.
For more information about Brew: Cafe, Coffee, Kape, visit the Food Writers Association of the Philippine Facebook Group.
