BUTUAN CITY – As urban communities continue to face challenges related to food security, limited growing spaces, and environmental sustainability, the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center (ATI-RTC) XIII equipped community leaders and agriculture advocates with practical solutions through the Training on Advanced Urban and Peri-Urban Technologies Batch 2, conducted on May 27–29, 2026 at the MSC Center for the Poor, Pareja Subdivision, Butuan City.
The three-day training was attended by 31 participants from across the Caraga Region, providing them with knowledge and hands-on experience in innovative urban agriculture technologies designed for urban and peri-urban settings. The activity aimed to capacitate participants in adopting sustainable farming systems, particularly container gardening and space-efficient food production methods that can be implemented even in areas with limited land resources.
Resource person Mr. Perfecto “Jojo” Rom Jr., Lead Consultant of UCG Agricultural Consultancy Services, shared practical strategies and technologies that enable households and communities to produce food in compact spaces. His sessions covered the principles and benefits of urban and peri-urban agriculture, crop selection, container garden design, vertical gardening systems, and household-based waste management practices that support sustainable food production.
A series of hands-on demonstrations where participants learned how to prepare container soil mixes, establish container gardens using recycled materials, and manage crops through proper watering, nutrient management, pest control, and crop rotation was also conducted.
Further, discussions highlighted how container gardening and other urban farming technologies can contribute to food and nutrition security, environmental stewardship, climate resilience, and livelihood generation.
“The training provided practical answers to many of the challenges faced by communities today. Beyond container gardening, it emphasized responding to the needs of both people and the environment through ecological economics, simple and sustainable lifestyles, ecological education, and community participation. It gives hope not only for the earth but also for the poor,” said Mr. Victor P. Labastilla of Malicato, one of the participants from Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte.
