You Won’t Believe What This Benguet Farmer Grew Without Soil—Revolutionizing Farming from His Own Kitchen

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In the misty mountains of La Trinidad, Benguet—where strawberries bloom and cold winds whisper through terraced farms—a quiet revolution is sprouting from a farmer’s kitchen.

Fredie Ayawan, a soft-spoken but fiercely inventive local farmer, has shaken the roots of traditional agriculture by doing the unthinkable: growing lush, high-quality vegetables and herbs—without an inch of soil.

Yes, you read that right.

This self-made innovator and owner of FMA Agritech Integrated Farm has developed his very own Kitchen Hydroponics System, a groundbreaking cultivation method that uses a nutrient-rich water solution to grow crops. And the results? Nothing short of extraordinary. Leafy greens that thrive faster. Herbs bursting with flavor. Crops cultivated with precision, purity, and promise.

But this is more than just a farming hack. It’s a lifeline. A solution born from urgency.

Farming on the Edge: The Crisis Fredie Took Head-On

With the rapid urbanization of La Trinidad, vast tracts of farmland are disappearing under concrete. Farmers, once the lifeblood of Benguet’s thriving agricultural economy, are now pressed against the walls—fighting for shrinking spaces and dwindling resources.

That’s when Fredie dared to imagine: What if you could farm vertically, inside homes, and in small urban lots—with no soil, no pesticides, and no heavy machinery?

Enter his Kitchen Hydroponics System.

Designed for scalability, this system brings farming right to people’s homes—on rooftops, balconies, kitchens, and even tight urban corners. With the right nutrient mix flowing through water channels, plants grow faster and healthier, using up to 90% less water than conventional farming.

The system also opens up massive potential for urban agriculture, food security, and sustainable living. You don’t need hectares. You just need heart, innovation, and a kitchen.

Elevating the Game: Triple Your Harvest, Half the Space

Fredie’s invention is riding the wave of a bigger movement: Elevated Farming, a technique the La Trinidad local government now actively promotes. Learning from advanced Japanese agricultural systems, farmers in the region have discovered that growing crops vertically can triple production.

This method doesn’t just defy gravity—it defies the limitations that have shackled small farmers for generations.

“Traditional land may be scarce, but ideas? They’re unlimited,” Fredie shares with quiet confidence.

By merging his hydroponic system with vertical farming structures, farmers now have a powerful combo: a way to grow more food in less space—with fewer resources and better quality.

The Organic Future: Clean, Green, and GAP-Certified

Fredie’s system also supports La Trinidad’s push for organic agriculture and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)—a move that not only ensures food safety but also guarantees better prices and market access for farmers.

Despite only a fraction of the region’s agricultural land being certified organic, interest is growing fast. The local government is providing greenhouses, irrigation systems, and hands-on training to help farmers transition to cleaner, greener methods.

Fredie’s Kitchen Hydroponics slots in perfectly. It eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, making it ideal for organic farming—even in the middle of a city.

Training an Urban Army: Growing Food in the City

The Agricultural Training Institute–Cordillera (ATI-CAR) has already begun tapping into this innovation. Through hydroponics and home gardening workshops, they’re empowering urban residents to grow their own vegetables.

No backyard? No problem. With Fredie’s system, anyone can start a small-scale farm—right in their home.

This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about resilience—giving families a reliable source of nutritious food, reducing dependence on imports, and creating micro-enterprises that can thrive in the heart of the city.

Even the Fog Helps: Harnessing Nature’s Resources

And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more futuristic—another innovation is sweeping through Benguet: fog catchers. These water-harvesting structures collect moisture from the mountain mist, providing up to 25 liters of water daily.

Pair these with hydroponic systems, and you’ve got a closed-loop, sustainable farming model that works even when traditional water sources run dry.

It’s the kind of ingenuity that brings tears to your eyes and hope to your table.

The Harvest of Tomorrow Starts Today

Fredie Ayawan is not just a farmer—he’s a visionary.

His Kitchen Hydroponics System proves that solutions to the world’s biggest problems—food insecurity, climate change, urbanization—don’t always come from high-tech labs or billion-dollar firms.

Sometimes, they bloom quietly in the cool mountain breeze of Benguet. In a kitchen. In the heart of a farmer who refused to give up.

In a world full of noise, Fredie’s story is a whisper of brilliance—a reminder that the seeds of change are already in our hands.

And they’re growing—fast.

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