Philippine university graduate practices urban farming to answer food issues
Urban farmer Perfecto “Jojo” Rom, an Agriculture graduate of the Xavier University- Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro, plants vegetables in plastic containers in his backyard in Davao City. Photo by Bong D. Fabe.
“There is a need for fresh food and urban agriculture, through Urban Container Gardening, gives us the opportunity to provide fresh, organic, nutritious food to the market”
By Bong D. Fabe
BusinessMirror.com.ph
14 August 2011
Excerpt:
Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan – Rom graduated from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in 2001 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Major in Crop Science through a full scholarship provided by the Xavier Science Foundation from 1997 to 2001. He has visited other countries teaching those willing to listen the concept of UCG.
Using discarded, broken plastic containers and even used tires, 35-year-old Rom has embarked on a one-man crusade teaching households and individuals to contribute to the Philippines’ food security program, as well as ecological sanitation and environmental protection through urban farming.
“RA [Republic Act] 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 is most effectively implemented at the household level. Growing one’s own food, nutritious organic food, using the household’s own bio-waste as fertilizers and as planting materials effectively helps the environment and reduce the government’s waste disposal expenses,” he explained. “Urban Container Gardening is an inexpensive way of growing one’s own food anywhere in the house using recyclable containers and soil mixed with compost made from the household waste as fertilizers.”
UCG can be done even if someone has no space in his/her house for a garden. “Instead of planting flowers and putting them on your window sills or on the side of walkways and hallways, you can plant vegetables and spices. And every morning, you’ll just have to get some fresh leaves from your ‘garden’ and have a nutritious salad,” he said.
1 comment
I had the pleasure of chatting with Jojo thru Facebook not too long ago. I was expecting an outspoken person that may not be able to contain himself talking about his garden, but I met a humble and yet quite intelligent respectfull young man. I was trying to picture in my mind how would he sound in person if it was anything similar to our chat session on FB I would say that he is a well articulated person and knows what he is talking about. Ofcourse he was not able to mask his enthusiasm, but it was very well controlled and not at all annoying. I like this person as I told myself, it is quite seldom one will meet a person so well mannered and very ingenious.
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