As an accredited Farmer Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production (FLS-DBP), Alejandro Leoncio finds fulfillment in sharing knowledge to other dairy farmers. Many of them he communicates with thru social media.

”Sharing knowledge to other farmers, some of whom I meet on social media, gives me fulfullment. It feels good that people tell you that you help them by simply answering their question online” said Alejandro, a carapreneur from San Miguel, Bulacan. 

His interest in mentoring other dairy farmers started in 2016 when he was asked by the local government of San Miguel to attend the Facilitators’ learning workshop for FLS-DBP. His participation in the said learning event played a big role for his farm to be recognized and become a learning site for agriculture, with the help of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI). 

As an active carapreneur, Alejandro always sees the need to learn things about the business. He often attends seminars, convention and online webinars to learn. “It is important to me that I have sufficient knowledge in every aspect of the business that I am pursuing.” He added. He is always interested in improved technologies that will not only give him new knowledge but also opportunities for added income.

With his commitment and dedication in dairy buffalo production, he often gets invitations to be a resource person for webinar and be featured in various agricultural TV programs where he wholeheartedly shares his knowledge and experiences to dairy farmers.

Alejandro is a former Overseas Filipino Worker in Riyahd Saudi Arabia. After working abroad for five years, he used his savings to put up an electronic shop and repair service in their town. Alejandro has this attitude of not spending their earnings on material things. Instead, he used the profits from previous business ventures to buy land, which they now use for mango and dairy production for additional income. 

He is continuously improving his farm by reinvesting his earnings into other carabao-based enterprise such as vermicomposting, silage, and milk based products. His farm also accepts trainees who wants to learn dairy buffalo production. 

With his current success and gained knowledge over the years, he humbly admits that he still has a lot to learn in order to continuously improve and succeed. His dream is for other dairy farmers to embrace the program.  As he sees and experiences the potential of dairy production, he hopes that other dairy farmers will get serious about dairying. That is why every chance he gets, he shares his experiences and encourages farmers especially those who has capital to invest in this kind of business as it really pays off as long as farmers will work hard for it. 

“Success needs hard work and perseverance. One must have passion, interest, and attitude to learn and vision to grow,” he stated. 

From a starting inventory of two buffaloes, currently, he has 33, 10 of which are lactating and some will be calving soon. In the coming months, his total inventory will exceed 50 head. In 2019, his total earnings from dairy buffalo production reached 1 million pesos which he uses to improve his farm and to purchase additional animals.