Roof deck vegetable gardens eyed for urban centers – Philippines Department of Agriculture

Roof deck veggie garden in Austin, TX, US. By Bercy Chen Studio LP.

“We can map these to identify areas for food production”

PNA
Feb 26, 2011

Director Silvino Tejada of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soil and Water Management said he plans to talk to owners and administrators of buildings in Metro Manila so the agency can help them and their tenants develop vegetable gardening even on roofdecks.

He said such action is needed since Metro Manila’s vegetable supply is jeopardized when calamities strike due to difficulty in raising and transporting the produce.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development also said there’s a need for urban farming to help improve people’s access to and intake of quality and nutritious food.

PCARRD noted that former agriculture chief Domingo Panganiban reported in 2006 that the Philippines’ per capita vegetable consumption of 40 kilograms is the region’s lowest and is below National Nutrition Council’s recommendation of 69 kilograms.

By growing one’s own food, PCARRD noted that urban farming complements rural food production. Such complementary action is timely, particularly since arable land is being converted to subdivisions, urban centers are expanding, there’s industrial development and environmental degradation exists, PCARRD also said.

Tejada is bullish about the roof deck vegetable gardening bid, convinced that helping bring food security is part of the private sector’s corporate social responsibility. He said the BSWM is prepared to teach building owners, administrators and tenants how to grow vegetables in roof decks.

The BSWM has a roof deck demo site which they can visit, he noted. The DA can also provide seeds for planting, Tejada said. Earlier, Tejada targeted idle subdivision lots as sites for urban farming.

“We can map these to identify areas for food production,” he said.

Tejada’s bid is aligned with the nationwide urban gardening initiative of DA.

Link here.