The manifestation of his dreams:
PROMISE LIFE INTEGRATED FARM
The road to success does not come easy; it takes hard work and dedication.
Jayson C. Merin learned this from his hard-working parents; his father is a rice farmer, while his mother is a vegetable vendor. They showed him that when an opportunity arises to succeed, one must take it with full pride.
His sacrifices and perseverance
Merin witnessed his parents’ hard work. The struggles and financial difficulties led him to stop his schooling and to become a young entrepreneur at the age of 17. All of this was to help his parents provide the needs of their family and for his sister to continue her studies.
For three years of being a vegetable vendor, he realized the importance of education. He took up BS Marine Biology, a free tuition course offered by the Aklan State University – New Washington Campus, while at the same time, working during weekdays and a vegetable vendor on weekends to defray his college expenses.
He thought being a degree holder would be his ticket to success, but he was proven wrong.
Gaining momentum
In 2016, Merin worked in one of the top hotels in Boracay as an Aquarium Specialist and gained his diving license. Working in this prestigious hotel helped boost his confidence and develop his skills, especially in interacting with different people around the globe. In 2019, due to Boracay’s closure plus the strict policy on renewals of business permits, the company he worked at encountered many losses, leading him to resign.
After a month’s rest, he started to join agriculture-related training conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA). He ventured into vegetable farming and sold his own produce. Since 2021, Merin started building his dream house little by little from the portion of the income he received from vegetable farming. Vegetable farming helped him become one of the beneficiaries of the Sure Aid Loan Capital by the DA – Agricultural Credit Policy Council, which amounted to Php 25,000. He used this as additional capital for his vegetable farming project.
Mid-2021 was a big bang for Merin despite the killer COVID-19 pandemic. He became a 4-H Club member, which later led him to join the Young Farmers Challenge Fund (YFCF) Program of the DA Regional Field Office VI by the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD). Through YFCF, he was able to accumulate funds from winning both Provincial and Regional Level Competitions, representing the Western Visayas, with cash grants totalling Php 200,000 for the expansion of his vegetable business into an integrated farm, the Promise Life Integrated Farm (PLIF).
Rewarding his efforts and virtues
PLIF offers fresh, quality, affordable, and naturally produced vegetable and pork meat. It also produces healthy piglets. The project practices integrated crop management, a technology that uses both organic and inorganic farm inputs like fertilizer, pesticides, and fungicides. It also practices zero waste management as a response to environmental issues, as well as probiotics to lessen the smell of swine manure.
The project was able to help three displaced workers, who are now in charge of farm maintenance. PLIF’s greatest achievement is to be known not only in the province, but also regionwide. Merin believes that if it is God’s will, his products will also be known on the national level. He hopes to strive to become the best that he can be, believing that one must fail to see different ways to obtain a goal. Failing is inevitable; the obstacles throughout life are there no matter what one does.
Merin further expressed, “Strive harder, work harder because in the end, you will earn greater than expected. Seek guidance from God and thank the people who mold you and contribute to your success less or big, and be thankful for the hardships because this builds who you are today and what you will become tomorrow.”
This is a story of a young farmer who dreams of giving his family a comfortable life, strives for a greater vision, and believes that sharing is caring. Merin hopes to inspire people with the saying, “A successful farmer doesn’t only require intelligence to succeed. It also requires hard work, dedication, and perseverance, which are the greatest tools to cultivate and harvest a crop of gold”.
“Ang Promise Life Integrated Farm ay ang promise ko sa aking pamilya, na kung saan ay mabigyan sila ng maginhawang buhay, magkaroon ng malaking bahay para hindi kami siksikan, at mapalago ang aming negosyo, nang sa gayon ay hindi na kami bumalik sa mahirap na sitwasyon,” Merin related. ###
