City of Cebu advances food security strategies, moving from cooking vessels to food production methods
In the heart of Cebu City, a green revolution is underway. Urban gardening, once a niche pursuit, has become a flourishing movement, transforming schools, barangay open spaces, and even homes into verdant oases.
The City Agriculture Department, spearheading this transformation, is intensifying its urban gardening program to promote food security, sustainability, and environmental balance. One of the key initiatives is the "Gulayan sa Paaralan" program, which has seen schools become fertile grounds for learning and growing fresh produce.
Barangay-based sessions are held weekly, with the city supplying seeds, soil mixtures, and compost. This grassroots approach to gardening demonstrates that food security doesn't necessitate large farmlands; it can begin in small spaces like balconies, front yards, or kitchen corners.
Two major programs, Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) and the Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), are helping fisherfolk and farmers cultivate not just food but also their future. These initiatives, a collaboration between the Jollibee Foundation and the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative, among others, offer season-long training and provide farm inputs to sustain production, with farmers delivering their fresh produce directly to Jollibee stores in Cebu City.
Urban gardening provides numerous benefits. It ensures food availability, reduces waste, promotes healthier diets, and instills values of discipline in food production and waste management. For instance, in the Carbon Market, people who previously disposed of rotten vegetables are now practicing backyard gardening, using organic fertilizers sourced from the waste collected from the market itself.
One notable urban garden can be found next to the South Road Properties (SRP) tunnel entrance, maintained by Zosimo Putot and his group. The space, previously occupied by informal settlers and garbage from the market, is now a thriving green space, with water collected from a makeshift water impounding container and compost produced from kitchen waste providing organic fertilizer.
The people working on the urban garden are primarily government employees from the Department of Public Services. However, the name of the group that operates the urban garden at the South Road Properties Tunnel remains unclear.
At the People's Farm in South Road Properties, residents can see urban gardening techniques in action, attend training, and try planting their own crops in small government-provided plots. The goal is for Cebu City to have "pockets of plants" in every household and community, including vegetables and flowers.
As this green movement continues to grow, Cebu City is not just becoming more beautiful; it's also becoming more self-sufficient and sustainable. The future of urban gardening in Cebu City looks bright, with more and more people embracing this simple yet impactful practice.
