In the Bayo Foundation’s effort to move towards a farm-to-fiber model, we’ve discovered many fascinating worlds of local, natural and sustainable production – one of which is sericulture. Sericulture is the process of farming silkworms. Learning about it is uncovering the magic that happens when nature, farmers, scientists, government workers, and business people join hands. Our story with sericulture starts in Barangay Cuba in Benguet, up in the mountains of Luzon.
The Sericulture Process
Sericulture starts with the cultivation of Mulberry trees, the leaves of which are the silkworm’s food. Our partner community of male farmers grow the trees to be the best quality they can be. This is important because silkworms are infamously particular with what they eat (they prefer leaves to be fresh and dry), and because it can reflect on the silk’s quality once it is harvested. Our partner community of female farmers then tend to and feed the silkworms. After twenty-one days, they spit out silk cocoons which are turned into fiber and thread.
Silk Quality
The type of silk made in Benguet is known to be of excellent quality. It has been identified as one of the top kinds of silk because it’s produced in cool temperatures, which is a very favorable condition for sericulture. The Bayo Foundation also partners with the Philippine Textile Institute (PTRI) who helps validate the quality of the cocoons
Sustainability
One of the main objectives of the Bayo Foundation is to fully transition to the use of natural fibers. The production of natural fibers like pure silk are considered to be environmentally friendly as they don’t use chemicals and nonbiodegradable materials. Additionally, since we source the raw materials locally, the transport has a lesser environmental cost. If the time comes that the clothes made from natural fibers are thrown away, they will simply decompose into the soil, leaving no waste behind. Through the whole process, the Bayo Foundation operated within the framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). By strengthening the sericulture industry in the Philippines, we were able to incorporate the goals of climate action, life on land, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, and even gender equality, among others.
Our Collaborations
Every Bayo Foundation project is enlivened by the spirit of collaboration. We take pride in who we work with as they share the same goal of a better earth and do their corresponding roles in stride. For this project, our collaborators include the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) who provided us with silkworms, the Local Government Unit of Kapangan Benguet who connected us to male and female farming communities, the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) who helped in validating the quality of cocoons, and our existing weaving communities who will create the handwoven textiles that Bayo will use for its pieces.
This collaboration is the hidden side of The Bayo Foundation’s sericulture project. In every step of the way, we had enthusiastic partners who worked with us to create the end product. They eagerly trekked mountains and rough terrains with us to meet farmers, deliver silkworms, and more. We believe that it is with this collaboration, which includes you, the consumer, that the dream of a sustainable earth can be realized.
