Victor Cabrera

Hafa Adai, my name is Victor Cabrera, and I am a member of Marianas Producers Association, Inc. As a member, I work with other volunteers who are committed to assisting producers such as farmers, ranchers, and fishermen in our community. A farmer and beekeeper myself, I understand the difficulties farmers face just trying to maintain their farms without having to worry about looking for grants or other means of funding to help them with their work. Working the farm and attending to the bees in the apiary takes up most of my time outside of my regular work schedule as a middle school teacher.

I teach “Exploring Agriculture” to 8th grade students at Hopwood Middle School on the island of Saipan under the CNMI Public School System district. Teaching for the past 19 years has been a great way for me to reach out to the youth in our community and share my passion for farming and beekeeping as well as our youth to take a look at the potential fields available to them in the agriculture sector. My personal mission is to spread awareness of self-sustainability here in the Marianas and ensure that we bring back the cultural values of growing and producing our own food.

I was born into farming. My father was a farmer, and so were both my grand fathers, from my mother and my father’s side of the family. I grew up on a farm where we were able to produce our own meat, vegetables and fruits and sell any excess harvests at the local markets. During my teenage years, I helped my father to raise cows, goats, chickens, and meat rabbits. I guess one could say that I was an all around farmer and rancher. In 2015, I decided to learn about beekeeping and was able to install my first apiary consisting of 12 hive colonies.

Now as a father myself and sharing my passion for farming and beekeeping with my children, I can say that venturing into the business of farming is not without its challenges. I have struggled making ends meet on my farm and receiving assistance from the USDA, private individuals and other government agencies has really helped me along the way. Whether the assistance was financial, assisted labor, or assistance in marketing my produce, any help was greatly appreciated and most beneficial in continuing what I needed to do as a farmer. I realized that if we could help more farmers in the same way, perhaps it may just lead our little island community to becoming a few steps closer to being self-sustaining. It is very disappointing to know that almost 95% of our food is imported, knowing full well that we have the resources, interested individuals, and ability to produce so much more.

As a member of the Marianas Producers Association, Inc., I believe that I can help others who have the vision and the passion to help get our islands closer to becoming more self-sustaining by producing our own food. Food security is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg for us here in the CNMI, ensuring that we are able to survive as an island nation detached from any outside support should any world crisis or calamity strike is key to our survival. Helping others to realize this and support their efforts in farming, ranching, and beekeeping is what I believe my greatest contribution is to this organization.

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