Philippines: Urban farming pushed to address food production issues
For the Department of Agriculture, it is vital for communities to go into urban farming as a food production system in every barangay.
By Lady Vicencio
ABS CBN News
Nov 27, 2023
Excerpt:
Urban farming will also be an opportunity for farmers to be climate resilient, according to International Association for Vertical Farming Vice Chairman Joel Cuello.
“We are living in the era of climate change… Some farmers in Bukidnon, they were growing traditionally high-value crops outdoors and now there are no longer able to do that because of the precipitation… They have to be able to do what they used to do for many years inside a rudimentary greenhouse that is in a controlled environment,” Cuello said.
But for urban farming to be a sustainable business venture, Dar noted that there needs to be a change in mindset in Filipinos’ vegetable consumption.
He said Filipinos consume around 60 kilos of vegetables per year, lower than the annual average of 100 kilos in other countries.
Dar said this was a challenge in inviting the private sector to invest in urban farming.
Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. President Cecilio Pedro agreed that urban farming could be sustainable if there is a potential for profitability with increased demand for agricultural products.
“Ano ang tinatahak natin? Food security. Yong kinakain natin dapat local… Kaming mga negosyante, we are willing to invest as long as we can see that it is going to be profitable in the future. At the end of the day, it’s about making profit so we can sustain the operation,” Pedro said.
