Plantitos and plantitas, your attention, please.
To encourage Filipino households to plant their own food, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is setting aside P400 million under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2 to expands the administration’s urban agriculture program and to attain food security among the Filipino households.
According to Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the urban agriculture program will now include edible landscaping or EL. This is an initiative of the DA, through its Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), and in partnership with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
Edible Landscaping
With the primary aim of providing households with enough supply of vegetables, edible landscaping is a farming approach that aesthetically combines applied artistry, basic landscaping principles, and crop production. A starter kit contains a packet of assorted vegetable seeds, an instruction brochure, and sample designs for a pocket garden, container garden, and of a community garden.
“Edible landscaping or EL will now form part of our household food security arsenal,” Dar said.
He also added that proper edible landscaping technologies will not only make the surroundings beautiful and promote aesthetics but will also attain household food security.
Furthermore, he noted that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that agriculture remains the backbone of the Philippine economy.
“As the country transitions onto a new normal, it is important that we continue our joint efforts to ensure the adequate supply of affordable and nutritious food and improve our food logistics and transportation systems,” the Secretary said.
For this project, the DA-BAR has extended P8 million to UPLB to further explore the joint edible landscaping project that will help expand the country’s national urban agriculture program.
“Rest assured the DA will continue to implement much-needed initiatives and programs, like edible landscaping and urban agriculture, to ensure that every Filipino family has enough food on their table,” he said.
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