ALHIBE FARM
A living experiment in Permaculture, bamboo architecture, and regenerative land stewardship, evolving from a private mountain retreat into a space for nature immersion, sustainable design, and community learning, a personal project of Marvin + Sheryl of M+S Studio. Located in Brgy. Sac-on, Carmen, Cebu, Philippines
Recognitions:
Good Design Award PLACEMAKING RED AWARD 2026 DOT Go Negosyo , Recognized as Inspiring Sustainable Eco-Tourism Awardee 2023
Ongoing Permaculture Development since 2018
Home of the following recognized structures:
AGWAS Cafe(Blue Mango Placemaking Finalist 2023/ Haligi ng Dangal Award Honoree 2024 / Good Design Awards Philippines Finalist 2024),
Balay Aninipot Bamboo Villa (Tatler Homes Philippines Sustainable Design Award Nominee),
Tiny Treehugger Home (Blue Mango Placemaking High Commendation 2023 / Good Design Awards Philippines Placemaking Red Award 2024 / Good Design Awards Japan Finalist 2024 ).
Alhibe Farm is a 1.3-hectare regenerative farm and nature stay tucked in the mountains of Brgy. Sac-on, Carmen, Cebu. Its name comes from the Visayan word alhibe, meaning “water tank,” inspired by the spring water gathered from the source that continues to nourish the farm and its surrounding community.
What began in 2018 as a personal desire to reconnect with nature slowly grew into a living landscape shaped by water, bamboo, trees, soil, and time. Alhibe was not designed as a typical resort, but as a place that listens to the land. where structures follow the terrain, trees are worked around, & spaces are created with nature rather than against it.
Our spring-fed pool began simply as water flowing from the main Alhibe spring, and with it, ideas and inspiration also began to flow.
What started as a humble thought to make use of the natural terrain slowly became a DIY pool shaped by hand, patience, and the land itself. We worked with the existing slope, gathered limestones from around the area as base, and later finished it with concrete to make it safer, smoother, and more watertight.
Fed continuously by spring water, the pool became one of Alhibe’s earliest living spaces—a place for cooling down, gathering, play, and quiet connection under the trees.
Like many things here, it was not built all at once. It flowed into being.
The farm is also home to our Bamboo Earth Kitchen, spring-fed pools, gardens, nursery areas, native trees, food plants, and quiet spaces for rest and reconnection.
Built with no nails — only bolts and traditional knotting, the Earth Kitchen is a quiet tribute to handcraft, community, and the land itself. Bamboo harvested from the surrounding village was shaped and assembled by our in-house team together with local hands. The natural terrain of the site was preserved and became the kitchen counter itself, allowing the structure to grow directly from the earth. From harvesting and splitting the bamboo to assembling the structural bundles that form the framework, the main structure was raised in just five days, reflecting a collaborative and grounded way of building.
More than a kitchen, it is a gathering space where we share meals, cook together, and enjoy pizza-making from the earth oven—crafted from clay, sand, and soil with a bamboo frame—bringing people together around food and fire.
Guided by permaculture principles, Alhibe Farm continues to practice native tree planting, small-scale food growing, bamboo architecture, natural building, composting, and ecological restoration. Through the years, it has also hosted permaculture workshops, bamboo-building experiences, nature camps for children, creative gatherings, and community-centered activities.
More than a destination, Alhibe Farm is a living place of learning, healing, and slow growth—a reminder that good design can restore our relationship with the land, with community, and with ourselves.
Alhibe Farm has always believed that the land becomes more meaningful when it is shared as a place of learning. Through the years, the farm has hosted Permaculture workshops, bamboo building workshops, kids’ nature camps, farm learning sessions, and hands-on gatherings that help reconnect people with the soil, water, trees, food, shelter, and community.
These initiatives were created to spread ecological consciousness in simple and lived ways—not only through lectures, but through actual experience. Participants are invited to observe the land, understand natural systems, plant, build, harvest, cook, create, and see how design can work with nature rather than against it.
Through Permaculture Design principles, bamboo architecture, native tree planting, natural building, composting, backyard farming, and nature-based activities for children, Alhibe Farm hopes to inspire more people to care for the earth in ways that are practical, creative, and deeply personal.
For us, awareness begins when people are given the chance to touch the soil, sit under trees, build with natural materials, and experience the quiet intelligence of nature firsthand.
