Venida Farms, Iligan City---The Philippine government’s move to assist and help our Muslim brothers and sisters who have suffered conflicts and endured onslaught of warfare continues with the effort of providing them housing, livelihood and food assistance to help them cope and start build a new life.

Marawi, which is a beautiful place teeming with greenery in Mindanao, is populated by Maranao people most of which are Muslims have evacuated the city and went to nearby Iligan during the crisis. According to an UNHCR Philippines article, the armed confrontation between government forces and pro-ISIS militants in Marawi has forcibly displaced 98 % of the total population of the city as well as residents from other municipalities which is under the province of Lanao del Norte. Most of them were compelled to leave due to severe food shortage, constraint of local economies and their public safety.

Recently, a training on “Organic Backyard Vegetable Gardening and Edible Landscaping” transpired in support to Internally Displaced People (IDP) on June 20-22, 2018 held at Venida Farm, Buru-un, Iligan City. The training was requested by the IDP-Iligan City president, Mr. Abdulmanap Balt. There were 35 participants who joined the said training, most of them were affected by the conflict in Marawi which is also known as the Marawi Seige.

Invited speakers include a network of Learning Site (LS) owners and farm cooperators such as Venida Farm owner Roger Lacida, Balay sa Hardin farm owner Gloria Fernando, Queensland Herbs and Tourism Farm owner Queenie Notario with organic practitioner and Agricultural Technician from Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte Mr. Avelino Bonotan, Jr.

Lectures and discussions were combined with demonstrations and hands-on activities to easily understand the topics discussed by the speakers. Field activities to other farms were also done to showcase different technologies and practices. Speakers shared practical and easy-to-follow procedures as well as tried-and-tested organic farming practices like proper planting of vegetables, fertilization, care and maintenance.

The training, which was organized by Project Officer Moisa Niña D. Catiil, helped the participants increase their knowledge on organic vegetable gardening and edible landscaping. The training also intended to help generate the income of the IDPs in their locality and help their families cope up and recover from the effect of the Marawi crisis. (with reports from Moisa Niña D. Catiil, Training Specialist-I)