What reasons do you need to be a farmer? Would you quit a high paying job and go back to your village and farm?

A lot of people today would question the logic of quitting a job and letting go of a stable income. Throwing them away in order to farm is like committing seppuku. There is no money in farming! That is insane and reckless! One would say.

Well, I just did exactly that. I quit my job and decided to be a farmer instead. Allow me to shed more light. Let me expound.

Reason #1.

IT’S ALL ABOUT MY HEALTH

In my experience as an office worker, eating healthy means you have to spend more money. Organically produced food is priced twice compared to the regular ones. Fast food is way cheaper. So after a decade of eating that junk, you don't need to guess its effect on my health.

I want to eat fresh and “Free” food.

Nothing is free in this world so when I say free food, I am referring to the food I harvest from the plants and vegetables I nurtured.

I want to be healthy.

Another point. What did you eat for lunch today? Where were the ingredients from? If you know exactly the How and the Where, good for you.

But most people don't know and don't even bother to know where their food came from. I was one of them. I did not ask because I believed that as a consumer, I am being protected. That those people preparing my food- from production to manufacturing, planting to harvesting are being held liable by some kind of higher authority. They would not dare choose their profits over my safety as a consumer.

So life just goes on. I buy food and eat. Oblivious of the fact that the food I eat is laced with harmful chemicals and ingredients. Guess what it does to my health?

For me, it's my blood pressure. 160/100. I always wanted to get a high score. But not on this one though. Damn! At the age of 30ish (wink), I am about to have the blood pressure of a person enjoying a 20% discount. So I made a decision to change my lifestyle and my eating habits.

I thought it would be easy, easy as pie. Boy, I was wrong. Doing push-ups, jumping jacks, I could manage a bit. But eating healthy is quite an obstacle. It is not because I can't eat bitter ampalaya. It's more than that. The price of ampalaya now brings up so much bitterness in me. Oh, the price of organic fruits and veggies! My blood pressure shoots up like SpaceX's rockets.

Searching for alternatives

I remember my childhood and dear old barrio. Life was simple back then. Fruits and veggies are within reach. If I wanted to eat some fruit, I'd just visit my grandparents house and presto!
City life will not allow me to have that kind of life. I may have a sustainable income but I can't sustain a lifestyle eating organic foods with prices twice as high as the normal ones.

So, I decided to leave the city, go back to my roots and farm. Produce my own fruits and veggies, my own food.

I want my children and their children to eat healthily

Producing my own food through sustainable farming would not just benefit me, but the next generation as well.

It would take my children some convincing to follow the path I have chosen. But I believe that as soon as they see the benefits of sustainable farming, they see the good, the bad, and the ugly of it- they would somehow follow my footsteps in one way or another.

Reason #2.

OK, IT’S ALL ABOUT MY POCKET TOO!

Most farmers in our country are poor. Ok, I was being modest, our farmers are poor. So it is true, there is no money in farming.

My grandfather is a rice farmer. My father is a rice farmer. Our neighbor is a rice farmer. Our neighbor's neighbor is a rice farmer too. Bunch of villagers are farmers. Their whole life, they've been farmers. What is common among them? They are poor.

Ok, some farmers became rich but not because of farming. Farmers only got two ways to get out of poverty. One- win the lottery. Two- pawn the rice paddy to send children abroad.

Save money and make more money!

There is no money in farming! And I chose to become a farmer. I chose it because of the money. As you are aware, sustaining a city life is expensive enough. Eating healthy in the city is way more expensive. Farming in the province enables me to have an affordable lifestyle and healthy eating habits.

Right now, people see no money in farming. And I see that as a challenge. It is certain that changing some of the farming methods and habits would make our farmers earn more money. This is the reason I chose to farm. To prove that there is money in farming. So as you can see, my decision to be a farmer is clearly motivated by- money. Money! Money!

But is it really true that there is no money in farming? No money in producing your own food?

The answer depends on the way you see things, actually.

Here is the way I see things.

I am saving more money by-

• Reducing my bills (gyms, transportation, shopping,restaurants, movies, etc.).
• Avoiding if not eliminating expensive medical bills in the future because of unhealthy lifestyle and diet.
• Creating a less-stressful environment for me and my family means less worry, more happiness. More happiness = satisfied kids and wife. Happy family = no divorce. No divorce = no expensive lawyers. See, more savings! +++ Haha! That’s a bit of a stretch but I hope you get my point.

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Now, let me go back to my question. If given a chance, would you leave a comfortable and stable lifestyle and choose to become a farmer?