THE Philippine government is pushing for urban farming as part of efforts to address rising food prices and supply shortages, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday, March 1.
The “Hapag Kay PBBM,” launched by the interior and agriculture departments at Rizal Park, encourages urban barangays and households to dedicate small patches of land to plant fruits and vegetables.
“Ang ginagawa natin dahil nagkakaproblema tayo sa bilihin at tumataas ang presyo ay sinasabi natin, bakit hindi ang ating mga kababayan ay sila na ang magtanim,” Marcos, the concurrent head of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said during his speech.
“Sa mga gilid-gilid ng kanilang mga tinitirahan ay magtanim sila ng gulay, maglagay sila ng prutas at mayroon pang ibang kasamang project galing naman DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) na barangay-based,” he added.
The program merges the DA’s “Green Revolution 2.0: Plants for Bountiful Barangays” program and the DILG’s “Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay” project.
The former aims to increase local production of fruits and vegetables by turning urban, peri-urban, and rural areas into patches of green, edible landscapes, while the latter seeks to build community gardens in every barangay to diversify food sources and contribute to food security within each neighborhood.
Marcos said villages would be the ones to identify areas where residents could plant.
“Lahat sila magshe-share sila ngayon doon, paghahati-hatian nila ang mga aanihin nilang gulay at saka prutas para ulit ay mayroon tayo, may suporta ang pamahalaan diyan at bibigyan natin sila ng mga inputs, at kung kailangan turuan, gagawin din natin ‘yun,” the President said.
He also expressed confidence the urban farming program will increase the country’s capacity “to address poverty, ensure food security, and protect the environment even at the barangay level.”
Meanwhile, Marcos also led the opening of another Kadiwa market, also at Rizal Park.
The Kadiwa, which was launched by the government last year, provides a market to the country’s local agricultural producers while at the same time giving the public access to affordable and high quality products.
Kadiwa stalls, led by the Department of Trade and Industry and DA, will also help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to recover from losses due to the pandemic.
Since last year, the government has been able to launch 500 Kadiwa markets nationwide. (ABS-CBN News)
