Archie Galang: On the Culture in Agriculture
Archie Galang is a Filipino-American agriculturist and landscape architect who was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He applies his academic background in physics, plant biology, and agricultural engineering in his work, as well as his rich cultural background. He is an avid advocate for sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly practices. In this article, Archie Galang shares his expertise, stories, and aspirations.
Fil-Am Cultural Background
Growing up in Houston, Texas as a Filipino-American, I was surrounded by a large extended family. My grandmother, born to a huge clan from the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, left the country to pursue a better life and eventually raised her nine children in the US, all in one house. She was an agriculturist and teacher in her prime, and she instilled in me love and appreciation for nature at a young age. She would give me seeds to plant outside, encouraging me to cultivate my own garden. She told me I had a green thumb, and it inspired me to plant fruit trees, vegetables, and various Asian crops as I got older.
As I pursued my academic career, I obtained a physics degree with research on plant biology at the Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. Some years later, I pursued an agricultural engineering graduate degree at the University of the Philippines. With these learnings and experiences, I was able to further cultivate my knowledge and inclination towards farming and landscaping, and eventually started working freelance in the field.
Relating Agriculture to Social Impact
Xavier University of Louisiana is a space where free thought on social justice flourished. Studying in the institution, I was exposed to a lot of social movements and progressive ideas that catered to empowering the underserved and marginalized. It is in that institution that I was planted with the seed of social awareness, realizing how problematic it is that large corporations control and monopolize the global agricultural industry, that they are the largest perpetrators of unsustainable, unsafe, and ecologically harmful agricultural practices, that they drive the cost of quality organic produce, thereby making it only accessible to the rich.
In questioning these things, I found solace in doing my research in plant biology under the mentorship of Dr. Hareesh Ratnayaka, who first introduced me to the world-renowned agricultural institution, the University of the Philippines in Los Baños. After my undergraduate years in Xavier University, and with the encouragement of my mentor and my family in pursuit of learning, I decided to go to the Philippine island of Mindanao to live there, with servitude to the community in mind. As I lived more in accordance with the Filipino way of life in the provinces, I was able to further enrich what I already knew about the sustainable traditional Filipino agricultural practices. I reconnected with my cultural heritage, with how my ancestors cared for the earth, tilled the land, and sustainably farmed.
After some years in Mindanao, I decided to attend graduate school. I was able to secure a scholarship that enabled me to enroll in the agricultural engineering program at the University of the Philippines, with a vision to broaden my knowledge in sustainable agriculture so that I may later be able to share it to the world.
Cultural Influences on Agriculture and Landscaping
Pre-Colonial Filipinos used to practice agriculture in a way that was mindful of the ecosystem and the environment, as nature is a huge aspect of their spirituality. Outdated Filipino superstitions and animistic beliefs are remnants of this, and I can say that they have hugely influenced my work. One example is being taught to say “tabi-tabi po” by my lola to ask permission from spirits in nature every time I enter their dwellings among trees or bushes. I was taught to respect the earth and find spirituality in its natural harmony, being careful with those who dwell in our environment — visible or not. These beliefs have inspired me to work towards creating spaces that are balanced and coordinated with nature and its elements.
My Filipino cultural background has played a significant role in my approach to agriculture and landscaping. As earlier mentioned, agricultural practices ingrained in the Filipino tradition and way of life are sustainable, productive, and respectful of nature. They point towards the concept of permaculture — rustic but conscious, productive yet resilient, diverse and stable.
Having lived in the Philippines for about 8 years, and traveling to other countries in the Far East such as Japan and Korea, I’ve taken inspiration from pan-Asian self-sustainability practices, which focus on responsible and environmentally-conscious practices to produce organic, top-class, export-quality crops through an amalgamation of traditional and modern strategies. All of these are ideas that I always strive to incorporate into my own work.
Combining these various cultural influences with my own professional knowledge and expertise, I aim to create landscapes that are sustainable, productive, and most of all, in complete harmony with nature.
A Message to Fellow Filipino-Americans and Asian-Americans
I believe it’s important to understand and embrace our cultural roots. Understanding our history and heritage can give us not only a sense of pride but also a direction to help us formulate a worldview that aspires to make the world a better place. Stay true to ourselves and our origins, find wisdom from our ancestors, and not aspire to become something we’re not.
Open and incessant learning has been a huge leverage in my career, and I advise everyone to take the same approach. We have to always be open to the possibility of augmenting our knowledge with insights from other communities and sectors of society. Embracing multiculturalism is important, as we can learn a lot from other cultures, enabling us to incorporate various ingenuities into our own work. We should see the younger global generation as an example to this openness, enjoying virtual liberal networking and cultural exchanges from all over the world without bars and boundaries.
For fellow Filipino-Americans and Asian migrants across the globe, it is vital to discover and rediscover the answers to our questions from the values and beliefs of our people. A lot of the problems we’re experiencing now already have solutions that can be found within our own cultural practices. I am a living testament to how important it is to use our cultural backgrounds as a source of strength and inspiration to excel in what we set out to do — be it agriculture, architecture, medicine, engineering, creative practice, innovation, and so on — and to overcome the struggles we may face in whatever part of the world we’re in.
Archie continues to advocate for environmentalism and shares through his works the philosophy of how we can maintain a mindful and balanced relationship with the earth through thoughtful and sustainable landscapes. Connect with him and learn more about his meaningful work at https://www.archiesgardenbeds.com.
