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Philppines: Urban farming initiatives address food insecurity, loss of income

“It should be shared to the public so that they’re aware Filipinos can be self-sufficient,” she said. “It’s not just about the effect of urban farming on individual households or communities, but on the entire economy.”

Business world online
Nov 16, 2021

Excerpt:

IBON is documenting eight urban communities, including informal settlers in factory zones, barangays within the vicinity of churches, and undeveloped areas in Quezon City.

Asuncion Perez Memorial Center, Inc., a partner of IBON Foundation, set up multiple urban farms in Metro Manila inspired by the rural bungkalan, which refers to collective land cultivation wherein farmers produce food for everyone.

“This started when we decided to be part of the nationwide campaign for community pantries. Of course, there was recognition that since we are a very small church-based institution, we couldn’t provide long-term,” said Liza A. Cortez, executive director of Asuncion Perez. “Community pantries aren’t sustainable to begin with. We saw it as a good response to mass hunger but we knew it wasn’t the solution.”

She shared that the communities each embarked on different efforts depending on the natural environment and character of the population — a group of housewives in Parañaque, for example, had more access to tools and planting space compared to a gathering of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Muzon, Bulacan.

What they all had in common, however, was the motivation to not go hungry amid rising prices and limited supply.

Read the complete article here.