QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila—To encourage urban residents to grow their own food at home and ensure food security for their families, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) conducted a free seminar on edible landscaping.

Speakers during the event were Architect Patricia Regalado and Fely Sadio of Flor's Garden, an ATI-certified Learning Site on organic agriculture in Antipolo, Rizal. They shared information about the components, functions, and benefits of edible landscaping.

The resource persons encouraged the attendees to grow food in their own home and apply landscaping techniques to make it creative and enjoyable. Described as the use of food-producing plants in the landscape, edible landscaping combines fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, along with ornamental plants into aesthetically pleasing designs.

Sadio stressed that one can decide what kind of plants to use in landscaping depending on the food that they eat. She added the importance of creativity and the capacity to maintain the landscaped site.

On its benefits, Regalado shared that edible landscaping adds to a better quality of life. According to studies, the sight of plants and trees can help reduce stress and that families can choose to eat healthy and inexpensive food.

The participants were thankful for the new information they learned from the resource persons. Geronimo Asis of Taytay, Rizal attended with his wife and the caretaker of his farm and garden.

“This seminar is very informative. I learned a lot of new things, especially on the health benefits of the plants in our garden,” he shared.

Asis’ farm caretaker, Randy Delos Santos, added, “I learned a lot of techniques that I can use to further develop our farm and garden.”

The ATI Partnerships and Accreditation Division led the free seminar on edible landscaping last November 8, 2019 at the ATI Rural Development and Education Center.