El SALVADOR CITY. “ There are 680 million people who experienced hunger, and 381 million are undernourished. You as participants and partners are here for a purpose. We need a heart with a commitment, so be part of the solution”. This is the challenge of Mr. Jerwin Borres of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP), Cagayan de Oro City , during the launching of GUGMA.

GUGMA or GO Urban Gardening: Making Food Available is launched today in Barangay Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City. The launching signals the beginning of two batches of training on Urban Gardening which will culminate with a field day in September 2022. Participants are the chosen youth from Barangay Pagatpat.

Mr. Javier Andalan, OIC Chief for the Partnership and Accreditation Section of ATI-RTC X emphasized the importance of growing our own food, not only for having it readily available and accessible but also for having safe food to eat. He also mentioned some of the many opportunities for the youth which include internship programs in Japan and Taiwan, and the scholarship program for 4-year or engineering courses related to agriculture.
GUGMA was started during the strike of the pandemic in 2019, to support the government’s program of Plant, Plant, Plant, and “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Kontra Covid 19”. This is to ensure continued food production both in the rural and urban communities to guarantee food security and accessibility, and stabilize food prices.

In this training, the participants are expected to be able to explain and identify vermicomposting and waste management, and the management practices of beekeeping. They also expected to demonstrate the procedure for establishing an urban garden, including, organic fertilizer and pesticide production, and basic procedures for value-adding of products.

In his welcome message, Hon. Ronel Obsioma of Brgy. Pagatpat strongly believes that even if there are only 50% of the youth that will change their mindset regarding the importance of agriculture, it would be a big help for the agriculture sector.

Ms. Cristine Galupo, during her overview also pointed out that there is money in the soil, we only need to toil for it. That we do not need a wide hectare of land to produce food, since there are many technologies like hydroponics that teach us to grow foods even in cups or pipes.

The conduct of the training programs and other activities are spearheaded by ATI-RTC X, in partnership with the LGUs of Cagayan de Oro City through the City Agriculture Office, and Brgy. Pagatpat, Cagayan De Oro City, USTP Cagayan de Oro City, Out of School Youth Development Alliance (OSYDA), and Greenminds, Inc. With reports from CRISTINE GALUPO and JISA TAMBIADO-DULAY