Aiming to revitalize local economies and improve livelihoods among local women of Los Baños through agricultural entrepreneurship, the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), in partnership with Likhaya Food Products, conducted “Discovering the ABCs of Soybean: A Soya Processing Community Workshop” at the Academic Residences Cafeteria, UPOU, Los Baños, Laguna on 20 July 2024.
Dr. Joane V. Serrano, FMDS Dean, opened the event by emphasizing the importance of helping the livelihood of women in the grassroots. She also noted that the partnership with Likhayawill be a huge help to empowering women and forwarding local agricultural entrepreneurship.
Mr. Rommel “Ome” Rolando Bailey, the owner and lead operations head of LikhayaCommunity Store and Cafe, along with Ms. Maribel Concepcion, facilitated a hands-on training on soybean processing from soy milk to ice candies with different flavors. It was participated in by women from external partner barangays such as Mayondon, Maahas, San Antonio, and Tuntungin-Putho. Some participants were part of the Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council (BFARMC).
Before the workshop proper, Mr. Bailey introduced soybeans and its status of localization in the Philippines. According to him, it is called “utaw” in Batangas, and is mostly cultivated in Mindanao, Bicol, and Northern Luzon from November to February. He further emphasized the nutritional benefits of soybeans as a protein substitute not just to meat but to other legumes as well. He explained how Likhaya is doing its best to maximize the potential of soybeans by producing soy milk, tofu, and taho (Filipino staple comfort food), while also customizing local delicacies with soybean products such as soya pandesal or “pandesoya”, tofu sisig, tom yum soup, and ice cream.
According to Mr. Bailey, Likhaya does its best to bring back culture to agriculture. Likhaya is a testament to his vision that in order for people and agriculture to be “malaya”, there is a need to continue trying and creating (paglikha), hence, the idea of Likhaya.
In the workshop proper, Mr. Bailey and Ms. Concepcion showed the participants how to extract soy milk from the soybeans. The collected milk then underwent pasteurization (i.e. being stirred over low heat). Sugar and corn starch were then added. Flavors, such as cocoa powder and blended mango, were used as flavoring to the ice candies as they were packed and tied. Moreover, pancakes were created from the soy pulp, or pureed soybeans filtered in the production of soy milk, where soy milk was concocted, with the addition of bananas, flour, and eggs. The conducted soybean processing workshop, as per the resource speaker, was the first one that introduced the processing of ice candy from soy milk.
The said workshop is a continuing support to the innovations of FMDS’ Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. (Growing Appreciation towards Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition). It functions as a public service initiative of FMDS and is a commitment to several thrusts of Community Inclusivity, Digital Transformation, and Acceleration Towards Sustainability (CIDAS) including Women and Elderly Empowerment and Transformation (WEET) and Community Health Education and Well-being (CHEW).
It was also a part of the nationwide celebration of Nutrition Month, and was aligned with different Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) commitments of FMDS.
Written by: Angelo James Fababeir (Intern) • Edited by: Larry N. Cruz • Crossposted from FMDS Official Website
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