From Coffee Beans to Mushrooms: Zandro Cañeda’s Vision for a Greener Future
Zandro Cañeda is not just an agriculturist and landscape designer; he embodies the spirit of sustainable and community-centric agriculture. Beyond mere planting, Zandro is on a mission to reshape communities by emphasizing the importance of agricultural production and the intricate art of horticultural development.
In collaboration with Isla Makinas, Zandro has been deeply involved in an impactful Agroforestry project in the Philippines. Their shared goal is twofold: to protect Palawan’s lush forests and to promote local coffee production, alongside cultivating other tropical fruit-bearing trees. Zandro’s profound expertise in coffee cultivation has illuminated the potential of food forest homesteads in Lio. He has meticulously guided me through the comprehensive process of coffee harvesting and processing tailored for small-scale endeavors. As a testament to his prowess, seeds from our inaugural coffee harvest are currently germinating, prepped for transplantation, with beans from the same batch being roasted at LICK’s roastery.
However, Zandro’s agricultural passion isn’t confined to coffee. He’s at the forefront of an innovative mushroom cultivation initiative, delving into various substrates to produce top-tier organic mushrooms. My visit to Kalawaili Permaculture Farm with him was enlightening, as he passionately detailed his mushroom cultivation techniques. This was before his strategic relocation to Lio Eskinita, positioning him closer to his mushroom stakeholders. Collaborating with restaurants like Pizza Nostra and households in Lio, and distributing through Kalye Artisano, Zandro’s efforts are paving the way for enhanced food security.
After discussing his vision for Growns, Zandro explained, “I aim to enhance the scientific operation of growing plants and mushrooms with a dedicated laboratory facility for research and development. This will enable tissue culture exploration of a wider variety of mushrooms, maximizing gourmet production with an abundance of planting material ‘spawn’ and even delving into some medicinal species.”
Zandro Cañeda’s journey is a compelling narrative of how passion, expertise, and unwavering determination can drive a broader movement toward sustainability and regeneration.
Contact “Agri-pogi” here:
WhatsApp number : 09079938150
Email: zandrorcaneda@gmail.com
Website: https://www.behance.net/GrownsZandroCaneda
**Note: This was originally published in ESTEL Issue 16 (Q4 2023)
