As we experienced health and food shortages during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has taken the lead in promoting the “Plant, Plant, Plant Program”, in line with the nationwide implementation of the “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Laban sa Covid-19.” The ALPAS aimed to raise the level of food sufficiency in the country during the pandemic.
In support to this advocacy, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has strengthened the Urban Agriculture (UA) Program by disseminating and expanding support in urban areas where there are difficulties of food supply.
The UA program aims to encourage the household in producing their own food, specifically vegetables. To achieve the goals of the UA program, trainings and extension support were provided to urban families. Capacity building on Urban Gardening and Edible Landscaping as well as starter kits were provided to include garden equipment, variety of vegetable seeds, molasses, vermicast, seedling trays, hand trowel and IECs.
Trained urban families were expected to establish vegetable gardens in the backyard or in some way, to produce food even in limited space. They were also encouraged to incorporate other components such as free-range chicken, hydrophonics, aquaphonics and more to make it a holistic food production system.
To further strengthen the program, the establishment of community-based integrated urban gardens was conceived to serve as model areas of safe and healthy community-based food production through the use of different technologies. To challenge and encourage urban communities embrace this initiative, ATI-RTC 1 held a competition dubbed as, “ATIng Gulayan sa Region1: The Search for Community-Based Integrated Urban Garden in Ilocos Region.”
Seven among the 10 entries of community-based integrated urban gardens were qualified to join the competition: two (2) from Ilocos Norte; one (1) from La Union; and four (4) from Pangasinan, to wit:
1. Gulayan sa Barangay Caunayan – Batac City, Ilocos Norte
2. Barani Model Urban Garden – Batac City, Ilocos Norte
3. Integrated Urban Garden – City of San Fernando City, La Union
4. The Blessed Garden of Hillside SitioCabulalalaan – Alaminos City, Pangasinan
5. San Aurelio National High School Integrated Urban Garden – Balungao, Pangasinan
6. Guam DICAFAI Community Garden – Calasiao, Pangasinan
7. PESFA’s Community Garden – Natividad, Pangasinan
These urban gardens were established and maintained by groups which members are graduates of the UA trainings conducted by ATI-RTC I in 2020. These gardens were developed through the starter kits provided to them.
ATI-RTC 1 organized a Technical Working Group and Validation Team to monitor and evaluate the entries based on set criteria to include Production and Sales output per Unit Area, Aesthetic Value (Arrangement and Design), Technologies used, Record Management and Documentation, Number of individuals reached, and Community Involvement
The Barani Model Urban Garden and the Gulayan in Barangay Caunayan of Batac City, Ilocos Norte won 1st and 2nd place, respectively. PESFA’s Community Garden - Natividad, Pangasinan, on the other hand, ranked as the 3rd place.
The awarding ceremony was conducted virtually on November 29, 2021 during the culmination of the Organic Agriculture and the National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM). Finally, the Harvest Festival was held on December 9 at the Barani Model Urban Garden- the winning community-based integrated urban garden. This garden showcases organic production of vegetables, free-range chicken, rabbit, and goat; vermicomposting with a beautiful landscape and set-up that arouse the community residents hold meetings and gatherings in the area.
Onwards, ATI – RTC I is looking forward to expand and implement the program with other partners in the region.