Before, everyone thought that we needed a garden to grow plants. But now, any place where a plant can be nurtured can be a garden. It even took a pandemic to wake everyone up to the fact that we have no food security or certainty when it comes to the source of our food.
Thatโs why Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary and President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr intensifies its efforts towards the implementation of a nationally-coherent food security program which pushes for sustainability in agricultural productivity, and ensuring sufficient supply of food among Filipinos, regardless of the socio-economic strata, the Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center 2 (ATI-RTC 2) in partnership with national government agencies (NGA) and Local Government Units (LGU) conducted series of Seminar on Urban Gardening in different localities in the province of Isabela, Cagayan and Quirino.
โNgayong araw ay tunay ngang punong-puno ang ating natutunan sa seminar na hatid sa atin. Nariyan nga ang mga iba't ibang uri ng gardening. Nakakatuwang isipin na sa mga pamamaraang ito ay maari tayong makaani ng ating mga sariling gulay mula sa ating mga sariling bakuran at ang kagandahan at nakatitiyak tayo na ang mga ito ay organic at walang halong chemical di tulad ng mga gulay na nabibili sa palengke. Kaya naman nagpapasalamat kami sa Agricultural Training Institute at nangangako po kami na hindi po namin ito makakalimutan at gagamitin namin ito upang mapabuti ang aming buhay bilang magsasaka,โ said Mr. Modesto Reyes, participant in Brgy. San Miguel, Ramon, Isabela.
Engaging in urban agriculture could help mitigate hunger and malnutrition. It also promotes sustainable ecological practices-including waste management.
โKanina bago nag-umpisa ang ating seminar tanong ko sa isip ko ano kaya ang urban gardening, ngunit nang ito ay inumpisahan ay naintindihan ko na. Kahit wala palang maluwang na area ay pwede palang gamitin yung mga recyclable na materyales gaya ng sako na pagtataniman kaya kahit wala akong maluwang na bakuran ay pwede akong magtanim, gayundin sa paggawa ng natural na pataba,โ said Ms. Emilia Tuguinay of Brgy. Ponggo, Nagtipunan, Quirino.
A total of 125 participants attended the five batches of seminar that was conducted last month of July. A total of 25 peri-urban dwellers, youth and police officers of Nagtipunan attended the said activity last July 18, 2023 at Municipal Agriculture Office Training Hall, Ponggo, Nagtipunan, Quirino. Twenty-five peri-urban dwellers and youth of Cauayan City also participated last July 19, 2023 at Mushroom Center, Brgy. Tagaran, Cauayan City, Isabela. Twenty-five Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members of San Miguel Integrated School-Annex also participated last July 21, 2023, at the San Miguel Integrated School-Annex, Brgy. San Miguel, Ramon, Isabela. Twenty-five Barangay Officials and staff of Barangay 2 also participated last July 25, 2023, at the Barangay hall of Centro 2, Santa Praxedes, Cagayan, while 25 members of Dungdungon Vegetable Growers Association participated last July 25, 2023, at Barangay 7, Claveria, Cagayan.
โMaswerte ang aming bayan lalo na ang aming association dahil napili kami na mabigyan ng proyekto o programa ng ATI. Ito ay malaking bagay hindi para sa atin kundi sa mga susunod na henerasyon ng ating lugar kaya dapat nating pangalagaan at pagyabungin upang patuloy ang ating progreso,โ said Mr. Ruben Dalire, one of the participants in Brgy. Sto. Tomas, Claveria, Cagayan.
โUrban gardening activities offer multiple benefits from boosting local economies and improving the quality of the environment in urban neighborhoods, to engaging, connecting and empowering the most vulnerable groups of people and disfavored youth.
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