Philippine rice farm. The aqueduct project of my father, built to bring water to the village farms.
Since I was little, I lived and grew up surrounded by farming life but never really understood how lucky I was until now.
My parents were farmers, growing everything they needed on the land they owned: rice from their fields, chickens on the farm, fish in the pond, and tonnes of organic food of various types that I learned to appreciate only recently.
Seeing my parents working, I learnt a lot simply by observing their work even though I never followed their way. Ploughing the fields and maintaining crops have never been my work. Like many people of my parents' time, they thought education was often seen as a path toward different opportunities. I thought so for a long time. However, life has shown me from a different perspective.
After many experiences, I realise that it is not enough to own land because it is something much more than just owning a property.
When people are able to grow some food or produce something themselves, they rely a little less on systems that we sometimes have little control over.
Of course, I'm not saying that everyone should go off and become completely independent. Life today still revolves around communities, trading and all possible services. But I do think that it is comforting to know that you have some land that will provide for you in some way.
Today, I value a piece of land very differently than I once did.
In my perspective, land is no longer just something with monetary value. It can be a source of food for a family, a place to teach skills, and a lesson in resilience that money cannot buy. Owning land alone doesn't prove its real worth, how it is used and cared for is what gives it real value.
That's probably one of the most important things my parents taught me.
Did growing up change the way you think about land? If you own a farm or homestead, or dream of one, what makes a piece of land valuable to you?
