Philippines: Police officer turned gardener advocates for more families to grow their own food
Umlah grows ampalaya, cabbages, carrots, labanos, mustasa, pechay, and other vegetables in his garden. “Everything needed for chopsuey and pakbet is here,” he said with a smile.
By Jazzmine Quiambao MB Jun 14, 2023
Excerpt:
Forty-six-year-old Abdulgafur Umlah is a police officer stationed in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced the country into lockdown, Umlah, a single father of two, took it upon himself to start growing his family’s own food.
Umlah’s urban gardening journey had begun from finding something to do during the lockdown. “During the pandemic, of course we didn’t have much to do during the lockdown. We couldn’t really leave the house,” Umlah said in Tagalog. “So I thought, so that I had something to do to [handle my] anxiety, to start planting.”
Umlah started transforming the 35 square meter rooftop of his home in Taguig into a space where he could garden. He didn’t have any prior knowledge about farming or gardening, so he had to learn how to start from social media communities.
It wasn’t easy for Umlah. “When it comes to urban or rooftop gardening, there really are challenges,” he said. “At first, my plants would live but wouldn’t bear fruit. Then there would be plants that would just die.”
Despite the failures, Umlah didn’t lose heart. He continued to research online for tutorials and tips to keep his plants alive and healthy, and fortunately, his efforts paid off.
