A new “Gulayan sa Pamayanan” project will benefit selected communities in the National Capital Region (NCR). This project will be established inside the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) compound in Taguig City.
Vegetable harvests, such as ‘pechay,’ mustard, lettuce, okra, and herbs such as basil and oregano, will be given to community members of barangay Lower Bicutan and barangay Bagumbayan, Taguig City.
Those who would benefit are parents and teachers from R. Papa Elementary School, solo parents, Barangay Affairs Office personnel, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, senior citizens, DOST janitorial and security personnel, DOST guests, and visitors.
The project aims to promote urban agriculture technologies developed through DOST-funded projects. Additionally, it seeks to make food available, accessible, and affordable to consumers, thereby promoting the overall health and well-being of the beneficiaries.
Aside from free vegetable harvests from the urban garden, the project will establish an urban agriculture enterprise.
Beneficiaries, interested parties, and other stakeholders will be capacitated in vegetable production and urban gardening. They will be trained and provided with information, education, and communication (IEC) materials. Brochures on SNAP hydroponics, vertical garden, care and maintenance of vegetables and crops, and knowledge management manual featuring the best practices in urban agriculture will be distributed.
This new project, “Promoting Adoption of S&T-based Urban Agriculture Technologies in Selected Communities in the National Capital Region,” started early this year and will run for 2 years. It is one of the components of the smart and green initiatives of DOST. It is implemented by DOST-NCR led by Mr. Oscar B. Sevilla, Jr., and funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).