Organic Cities! PH Gardens Growing Healthy Foods For Urban & Peri-Urban Dwellers

Healthy foods come from healthy soils and healthy fertilizers from healthy hands – even the cities & communities around should be able to grow healthy crops for themselves.

For such a public purpose, led by Agriculture Secretary William Dar, the PH Department of Agriculture (DA) has partnered with the private sector. Jed Macapagal says on Wednesday, 16 Feb 2022, the Urban Farmers Sustainability Concepts Organization, Urban Greens, and International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) signed each with the DA a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) “to scale up the implementation of the Urban and (Peri-Urban) Agriculture Program in the country” (18 Feb 2022, “DA, 3 Firms Promote Urban Farming,” Malaya, malayaph.com).

The news report does not state it, but after reading about the 3 DA partners in grime, I say:

The urban farms & gardens agreed upon are going to use 100% organic growing methods to cultivate crops. You cannot get healthier foods than that!

Mr Macapagal says:

Secretary William Dar said the agreements signed Wednesday will encourage sustainable crop production by establishing more community gardens while also pushing for safe, available, accessible and affordable foods to households and communities.

The Urban Farmers group is “currently constructing a community farm in Bonifacio Global City to support poor communities near the development (area).” Urban Greens, already managing an indoor farm in Makati City, “aims to expand the use of hydroponic systems to produce cleaner and fresher vegetables.” Non-profit IIRR, based in Cavite, “aims to build economic opportunities for rural people by making them (food) self-sufficient.”

Here is the pleasant/unpleasant scenario: Countryside farms are practicing chemical agriculture while the cities & communities around them are practicing organic agriculture. This is unprecedented, historical – The new farmers are teaching old farmers how to farm for their fuller pockets and people’s healthier bodies simultaneously!

According to Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org), IIRR is into Biointensive Gardening (BIG). Kathee Mierzejewski says (undated, “Information On The Biointensive Planting Method,” Gardening Knowhow, gardeningknowhow.com) that in BIG, “they loosen up the soil at least twice as deep as normal gardening” so that the “roots can penetrate through the soil deeper” and they apply compost, “usually made up of dry leaves, straw, kitchen scraps, and clippings from the yard.” This makes the soil richer in nutrients, and able to grow more crops planted closer than usual (see above “How To” urban garden image from Balcony Garden Web, Balconygardenweb.com).

Mr Macapagal says:

Under the MoA, (the) DA, together with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) will provide starter kits, which include seeds of common vegetables suited (to) the area, soil, and polyethylene bags, as well as technical assistance and urban agriculture module for the individual or household beneficiary and establishment.

DA will also utilize the barangay, community, school, university, and public office gardens as venues for hands-on training (on) various urban agriculture techniques. These areas will likewise serve as community gene banks to sustain their own production and planting materials for their constituents.

Noteworthy: The public sector needs the private sector’s help in cultivating community gardens growing healthy foods for everyone.@517