As innovative food-production program, called “urban Agriculture,” has been launched in this city in support of the national government’s food-security and production drive.A counterpart of former President Marcos administration’s “Green Revolution,” urban agriculture also aims to provide low-income residents additional means of livelihood.
Under the program, the presidents of the city’s 24 urban barangays will be trained to become food producers instead of being buyers and consumers of food and other farm produce in the city’s 65 rural barangays.
Cabanatuan City Mayor Alvin Vergara said that to achieve the objective of the program, he had directed the City Agro-Industry and Cooperative Office (CAICO) to spearhead the implementation of the program with the help of the volunteer urban dwellers.
CAICO’s task is to make idle private and public lots productive by planting the areas to vegetables and other crops.
Vergara said that he had asked CAICO to teach and encourage residents to use discarded plastic containers, cooking pots, water basin, used rubber tires, and even rooftops as planting plots if there are no vacant spaces in their backyards.
“We have to be resourceful and more productive in the light of the prevailing global shortage of food, particularly rice, although Cabanatuan is not affected by the crisis yet’” the mayor said.
A 1,000-square meter mini agriculture park showcasing urban agriculture has been established by the city government in the City Hall compound, CAICO chief Narcisa Paguio said.
She said some 400 residents of urban barangays are participating in the program.
They will undergo a one-day training seminar on off-season vegetable and mushroom production using the greenhouse technology, aqua culture, integrated pest management, harvest and post harvest handling of agricultural products, market development and organic fertilizer production.
High-yielding varieties of vegetable seeds will be distributed free during the seminar which will be held on May 27 at City Hall’s mini agriculture park.
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