With the public still adjusting to the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and as it adapts to the new normal, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) continues with its mission to provide science and technology solutions to food security and stability.
A total of 1,013-household beneficiaries in 29 communities in National Capital Region (NCR) were trained on various urban agriculture technologies such as Enriched Potting Preparation (EPP), Simple Nutrient Addition Program (SNAP hydroponics), and mushroom culture. These innovations are outputs of the completed DOST-PCAARRD-funded project, “Improving Food Security in Selected Areas in the National Capital Region in Response to COVID-19 Crisis through Urban Agriculture,” led by DOST-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Jose B. Patalinjug III and by Senior Science Research Specialist Elvin B. Almazar. The project was monitored by PCAARRD's Agriculture Resources Management Research Division (ARMRD).
Various communities in NCR benefited from the 29 trainings and 14 webinars on the know-hows of urban gardening technologies. They also received 12,670 EPP and 1,300 SNAP kits. Aside from establishing communal gardens, trainees were taught to repurpose plastic bottles and containers into “super paso,” which can be used to plant different herbs and spices in their respective backyards and vacant community spaces.
The constituents of Barangay 412 Zone 42, District IV in Manila are recognized for their efforts in food security in their households and in their educational institutions. Trained participants eagerly shared their EPP and SNAP kits with the officials from Claro M. Recto High School, headed by Principal Raffy V. Caballes. The project complemented the Department of Education’s Gulayan sa Tahanan Program, which aims to develop affordable, nutritious, and delicious recipes from the students’ produce in communal gardens and greenhouses. Utility workers and teachers have also benefited from the project.
Apart from the local community and schools, other community groups such as foundations/non-government organizations, and police districts and city jails also took advantage of the wide array of information available to establish their own vegetable communal gardens, whether for personal consumption or for sharing with their neighbors and other beneficiaries. The concept of paying forward is alive and strong in terms of disseminating useful information to more people. Attendees from different groups and communities trained as focal community leaders served as mentors in conducting the seminars. The project is part of the Good Agri-aqua Livelihood Initiatives Towards National Goals (GALING-PCAARRD), which was introduced by the DOST-PCAARRD as a response to the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic posed to the agriculture, aquatic, and natural Resources (AANR) sector. The program aims to help communities become more self-sufficient and have a sustainable food supply despite trying times. DOST-PCAARRD, together with its partner agencies, aims to address food security, combat malnutrition, and reduce hunger by providing low-cost and nutritious food from backyards and communal gardens.