IF YOU have a farm or a home in a cool place like Lucban in Quezon, Majayjay in Laguna, Tagaytay or Alfonso in Cavite and many other high-elevation areas, here’s a simple and practical idea we have picked up at the Long Yun Leisure Farm in the Alishan Mountain in Taiwan.

Make an enclosure for your favorite native chicken or some imported  breeds like Sasso, Kabir, Plymouth Rock, etc.The enclosure could be a 100-square  meter  rectangle. Enclose the same with a wire fence about 6-8 feet high. In one portion, put a trellis overhead to serve as roof for your fowls. All around, plant Sayote for its fruits as well as its tender tops for salad.

At the Long Yun Leisure Farm, the Sayote grows very lush all around as well as on the overhead trellis that provides shade for the chickens. The open portion is where the birds get their sunlight. The chickens serve two purposes. One is to fertilize the soil for the lush growth of the Sayote. The second, of course, is to provide meat and egg for the owner.

IN THE LOWLAND – In the hot lowland, a similar structure could be made. But different plants can be used because Sayote will not grow well in hot areas. The sidings could be patola, patani, ampalaya or some other viny plants. For the overhead trellis, upo, squash or kundol could be used.