Philippines: Food grown close to home: Urban farming flourishes during pandemic
At the height of pandemic, where many Filipinos were left with little to no access to food
By Manila Bulletin
Apr 5, 2021
Excerpt:
“I was able to transform our idle lot into a vegetable garden. I am really happy because my daughter and I are eating fresh vegetables and I am able to share our harvest to our neighbors in the village. Now, I can proudly say I am a ‘gurong magsasaka,” said La Roza.
Seeing the positive impact of urban gardening in her home city, Sen. Villar expanded her program promoting urban farming to other provinces such as Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Bataan, seeing to the distribution of seeds and fertilizers to at least 86 towns in the Philippines. To date, 1,694 individuals have received seed packets for their own home vegetable gardens.
“We should support other LGUs (local government units) which also desire to establish farms and vegetable gardens. Now, more than ever, we need to spread the interest on people growing their own food to other LGUs, so that we can help them and their constituents in their goal to achieve food sustainability amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Sen. Villar.
Urban agriculture is a viable intervention to guarantee that poor households and communities have access to healthier and affordable food. COVID-19 has given us cause to reevaluate how important local urban green spaces are to us, and what we want from our high streets, parks, and pavements.
