Chito Chavez writes in the Manila Bulletin that on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, Mayor Joy Belmonte announced that the QC government is intensifying its urban farming campaign and will soon distribute 6,000 starter kits to residents. Above, the superimposed image I call “Joy of Gardening” (from Getty Images[1]); Ms Joy has brought gladness to Quezon City’s gardeners.
6,000 starter kits! It’s called “#GrowLokal: Libreng Binhi Starter Kit” that contains each free seeds of ampalaya, eggplant, kangkong, okra, mustard, pechay, tomato, 2 kilos of organic fertilizer, potting bags and a guide on proper planting.
Ms Joy said it was the Department of Agriculture, DA’s, way of appreciating her “Joy of Urban Farming” initiative in her city. It was actually 10 years ago, when Ms Joy was still Vice Mayor of QC that she launched that project in the Circle, where in 2019, more than 43,000 visitors received their own seeds and seedlings.
The new initiative will be implemented by QC, the Agricultural Training Institute, ATI, and Bureau of Plant Industry, BPI, both of the DA, in coordination with the QC Small Business and Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office (SBCDPO). Ms Joy says, “They will also spearhead capacity-building activities, and continuously provide assistance to communities in the maintenance and sustenance of the site.”
The news report did not say but does imply to me that aside from home gardens, the new initiative is targeting the Quezon Memorial Circle, where in 2010 the project “Joy of Urban Farming” had 3 demo farms – they were actually demo gardens. So now, contributing my own enthusiasm, though I am not a Quezon City resident, I will refer to the whole thing as Joy Gardens.
The Circle (actually an ellipse) is all of 26 ha. Now, if we have more Joy Gardens, demos, in the Circle, more people will be attracted to the site, not only city residents but also tourists from far and near – enjoying the unhurried sights and good food – after all, the Joy Gardens grow all those vegetables truly organically. No other places can claim that as of now – and we have the Department of Agriculture as partner.
For the Joy Gardens, Ms Joy said:
The (QC Food Security Task Force) will be created to meet Zero Hunger initiatives, one of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, in order to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture for the city.
Ms Joy is thinking of community and commercial gardens where the DA through the ATI and BPI will be invaluable in providing the growing inputs. “They will also spearhead capacity-building activities, and continuously provide assistance to communities in the maintenance and sustenance of the site.”
In the meantime, through the Joy Gardens, Ms Joy says:
We want to make sure that our people will have access to a healthy and safe source of food even during this pandemic. Through this (Joy Gardens) program, they can now grow their own vegetables.
6,000 Joy Gardens! Quezon City will become known as “The Gardens City of the Philippines!”@517
[1] https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/planting-tree-garden-and-gardening-icons-royalty-free-illustration/932790794
No comments:
Post a Comment