“Here in the city, our satisfaction is the aesthetic effect of the gardens and our access to fresh vegetables,” he said.

By Paul M. Icamina
Malaya Business Insight
Jan 2012

Excerpt:

There are a lot of other vacant spaces in the 130-hectare subdivision all waiting to be found by urban farmers.

“I heard lately that the city government is interested in developing similar community gardens,” Reyes said.

For this season, the Luxemburg farmers plant mustard, coriander and Chinese pechay in four vacant lots, ranging in area from 500-2,000 square meters.

Two plots of chili, some ampalaya, cucumber and papaya were planted but were flooded; probably next planting season. They are also looking at sweet potatoes.

“The vegetables are harvested in 30 days, with a fast turnover from seeding to harvest,” Reyes said. “The four vacant lots are enough to supply the vegetable needs of Luxemburg Circle, with surplus to spare.”

The bulk of the produce is bought by vegetable vendors from the public markets of Pasay City and San Agustin in Paranaque.

Read the complete article here.

Urban agriculture: Growing crops in the city

By Henrylito D. Tacio
Sun.Star Davao – source of Philippine community news
March 14, 2010

Farming is always associated with rural areas, rivers and mountains.

Unknowingly, farming can also be done right in the city. Experts call this practice as urban agriculture.

“Urban agriculture refers not merely to the growing of food crops and fruit trees but that it also encompasses the raising of animals, poultry, fish, bees, rabbits, guinea pigs, or other livestock considered edible locally,” explains Dr. Irene Tinker, an American professor in the department of city and regional planning at the University of California.

In recent years, urban agriculture has been creating a big impact in some thickly-populated areas. In the 1990s, the Beijing government decided that urban agriculture was an important way to meet the city’s food needs. Today, farming in, around, and near Beijing not only provides residents with safer, healthier food, it also keeps farmers in business.

“Between 1995 and 2003, the income for farmers living just outside of Beijing doubled,” wrote Brian Halweil and Danielle Nierenberg in their collaborative report published in the recent issue of State of the World, published by Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute.

In Vancouver, Canada, 44 percent of the people grow vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, or herbs in their yards, on their balconies, or in one of the 17 community gardens located on city property. “There, farming the city is part of a much larger movement that includes restaurants buying from local farms, and buying clubs in which neighbors subscribe to weekly deliveries of produce,” noted Halweil and Nierenberg.

In Thailand, 60 percent of the land is under cultivation in greater Bangkok. In Russia, 72 percent of all urban families are engaged in raising food, mostly part-time. In the United States, the number of farmers’ markets selling locally-grown produce increased by 40 percent from 1994 to 1996.

In Guangzhou, China, up to nine crops are grown yearly on any single field. In Hong Kong, six crops of cabbage a year are not uncommon. Urban farming supplies Israel with 95 percent of its food needs. The city of Cairo is host to some 80,000 livestock.

In the Philippines, a presidential decree obliged owners, or entitled others with owners’ permission, to cultivate unused private lands and some public lands adjoining streets or highways in Metro Manila. In Davao City, the agriculturist’s office is promoting the “Gulayan sa Barangay.” This program pushes for the growth and propagation of organically-grown vegetables.

The United Nations Development Program estimates that 800 million people are involved in urban farming around the world, with the majority in Asian cities. Of these, 200 million produce food primarily for the market, but the great majority raise food for their own families.

In a survey conducted for the United Nations, cities worldwide already produce about one third of the food consumed by their residents on average.

This percentage is “likely to grow in coming decades, given that the need for urban agriculture could be greater now than ever before,” Halweil and Nierenberg wrote.

See the rest of the article here.

Philippines News Agency
September 1, 2009
LEGAZPI CITY

The Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL) has implemented a project dubbed “Urban Agriculture through the High-Value Commercial Crops Techno-Demo Farm” within its expansive campus here.

The project features 60-square-meter greenhouse where vegetables highly sensitive to rain and changes in temperature like broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and honeydew melon are being propagated.

Gardens for more hardy vegetables such as squash, eggplant and watermelon were also established in an open area of 1,000 square meters whose perimeters were planted to rootcrops like ubi and sweet potato.

Cucumber and sweet corn are being intercropped with those plants during the dry season.

A 5,000-square-meter farm for upland organic rice is also being established.

Adjacent to the demo farm, organic fertilizers will be produced soon through vermiculture using earthworms in the decomposition process of rice hull and coconut peat.

The first phase of the project started late last year with the establishment of a “techno-demo” farm in the Rawis Campus with a timetable of one year.

After which, it will be replicated but on an expanded version in a larger property of the university in the upland village of Banquerohan, also here.

The replication will be the second phase of the project being entirely supervised by Dr. Antonio Payonga of the Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF) based in Guinobatan, Albay.

This phase would start before the end of the year and managed in such a way that it becomes self-sustaining with the income derived from the sale of products be plowed back to the project for continuous production.

A part of which will be saved for future expansion and development, Payonga said.

Vegetable production within the urban farm could be done continuously in a year with two or three cycles while upland organic rice and root crops will be produced once a year, he explained.

The demo farm is a project conceived by the Aquinas Center for Continuing Education (CCE) under Dr. Susana C. Cabredo in response to the challenges of the prevailing food crisis felt with the dwindling supply of agricultural crops in the local market.

Cabredo, the CCE head, said the challenge is directed not only to the agriculture sector but to all sectors of society, including the academe as the problem is exacerbated with the increases in prices of oil that directly affects food production and distribution.

“Thus, it behooved academic institutions like AUL to transform from being mere consumers of food products to growers and suppliers especially of high-value commercial crops, the technology of which could be shared with communities particularly those in the urban areas,” she explained.

Related activities could also provide students in science, engineering and commerce hands-on experiences that dovetail with classroom learning about state-of-the-art urban farming technology.

In fact, the AUL College of Business Administration has already prepared a business plan that would help the project earn revenue, Cabredo said.
Aside from alleviating poverty and improving the wellbeing of Legazpeños and Albayanos in the long-term, the project could also improve the quality of urban environment through “greening,” and thus help reduce pollution, she said.

Considering the University’s proximity, the demo farm could spur agro-tourism like the strawberry fields of La Trinidad, Benguet.

It would also enhance or reinvigorate the entrepreneurial skills of the Aquinians while building stronger linkages with the communities it serves, Cabredo said.

AUL owns several parcels of land within the city such as the downtown Political Science Campus, the Aquinas Peak in Barangay Taysan and a vast agricultural estate in Banquerohan, among others.

Close to the business district, the main campus in Barangay Rawis is more than 30 contiguous hectares. (PNA)

Malacañang, Manila
By The President Of The Philippines

Executive Order No. 776
Rolling Out The Backyard Food Production Programs In The Urban Areas

WHEREAS, two-thirds of the world is in recession, though the Philippines is not;

WHEREAS, it is not business as usual; government agencies must hit the round running;

WHEREAS, the government should take advantage of the window of opportunity, i.e. declining inflation and interest rates and good weather;

WHEREAS, the government has committed Three Hundred Billion Pesos (P300,000,000,000.00) to economic stimulus programs, including comprehensive livelihood and emergency employment program (CLEEP), that will save or create millions of new jobs.

WHEREAS, part of CLEEP consists of backyard food production programs like Gulayan ng Masa and the Integrated Services for Livelihood Advancement (ISLA) for subsistence fisherfolk.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA M. ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by the power vested in me by law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Gulayan ng Masa and ISLA shall be rolled out into a massive government food production program in the urban areas with the active participation of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the local governments and the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

SECTION 2. The rollout shall consist of the setting up of urban vegetable gardens and backyard fisheries, including vacant lots and unused government land.

SECTION 3. All governors and mayors are enjoined to set aside funding for the purpose of the Gulayan ng Masa and ISLA in the urban areas. They are enjoined to designate project supervisors in their respective areas.

SECTION 4. There is hereby created a Steering Committee composed of the Secretary of Agriculture together with the Directors of the Bureaus of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Plant Industry, the Chairman of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, the Chairman of PAGCOR, the Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UP-Los Baños), and other concerned groups with the approval of the President of the Philippines.

SECTION 5. UP-Los Baños and other state universities and colleges shall lend their expertise in agriculture and aquaculture to the program.

SECTION 6. The DA shall set up provisions for water sources and mobilize breeder sanctuaries for the program.

SECTION 7. The activities of the program shall include:

• Developing various modules for urban gardening
• Producing and disseminating information materials
• Identifying beneficiaries, subject to the approval of the Office of the President for the program components funded by the national government.
• Organizing seminars and site visits
• Distributing vegetable seedlings and tilapia/hito fingerlings
• Monitoring local government progress
• Holding a search for the Best Urban Garden/Fisheries

SECTION 8. The funds for the program shall come from the PAGCOR and the local governments, with the DA providing a one-is-to-one (1:1) counterpart.

SECTION 9. This Order shall take effect immediately.

Manila, 16 January 2009
(Sgd.) H.E. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
By the President:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary

Link to the document here.

Thanks to Dr. Robert J. Holmer for sending this to us!

By Robert J. Holmer, Clarito A. Santos Jr., Glenda Y. Sol,
Stephen O. Lee, Elmer G. Elorde Jr., Arnel A. Aquino,
Yvette B. Guanzon, Donah Marie D. Achas,
Janice A. Caseria, Horacio S. Factura III, Analiza U. Miso,
Rafael A. Oclarit & Angelito A. Montes

Periurban Vegetable Project (PUVeP)
Xavier University College of Agriculture
Philippines, 103 pages

Foreword By Robert J. Holmer
Cagayan de Oro, February 2008

This Philippine Allotment Garden Manual is a product of research and extension activities of the Periurban Vegetable Project (PUVeP) of Xavier University College of Agriculture in cooperation with the city government of Cagayan de Oro, barangay administrations, local communities as well as universities and local government units from Germany and Belgium.

What started in October 1997 as an international research project on urban and periurban vegetable production, has resulted in eight allotment gardens for almost 100 urban poor families of Cagayan de Oro. The success stories and failures experienced along the way are reflected in this booklet, which we decided to come up with to address the numerous requests for information on how to establish an allotment garden in the Philippines.

“Population must increase rapidly, more rapidly than in former times, and ere long the most valuable of all arts will be the art of deriving subsistence from the smallest area of soil. No community whose every member possesses this art can ever be the victim of oppression in any of its forms. Such community will alike be independent of crowned kings, money kings, and land kings.”

Abraham Lincoln, address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 30, 1859

See the complete 103 page publication here.

Hard copies are available at 150 PhP at the PUVeP Office (plus mailing charges). For more info, please email to puvep@xu.edu.ph

Planning Report for Naga City Council June 2007
Kathryn Hill, Department of Geography, UBC
Dee Dee Quinnelly, School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC
Kaitlin Kazmierowski, School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC

Naga is a mid-size city of 150,000 residents in Bicol region, central Philippines. It is internationally and nationally renowned as among the ‘best practices’ in good local governance in the Philippines and in the developing world.

Naga City currently sits in an interesting position with regards to local UA (urban agriculture) practices. Despite being enclosed by rich agricultural lands, encroaching development and social stigmatization of farmers pose serious threats to the future of local agriculture in the city.

Local UA initiatives, while present in peri-urban areas are less visible within the city itself. This invisibility has often resulted in exclusion of small-scale UA practices from the public and political consciousness.

This project was aimed at understanding how UA could be developed and promoted in Naga City, as a viable livelihood option to enhance agricultural productivity and conserve lands critical for sustainable food security.

Mixed-method qualitative research led to the realization that Naga City possesses great potential to serve as a showcase city for innovative UA practices, simply by capitalizing on its current assets. Through greater collaboration with various stakeholders (farmers, citizens, students and community groups), city officials can undertake socio-economic and environmental assessments, listen to local recommendations and create enabling legislation that will not only increase UA lands in Naga, but actively conserve current agricultural lands under threat, promote alternative livelihoods, strengthen local economies and educate and empower all citizens. Building upon the city’s solid political and agricultural foundations, UA has the potential to flourish within Naga’s urban and peri-urban landscape if informed by collaborative multi-stakeholder processes and participatory policy creation.

“The Naga Farming School”: A Collaborative Multi-Stakeholder Pilot Project

To conclude, we would like to suggest a possible project, “The Naga Farming School”, which will assist in cultivating a healthy and sustainable UA system in Naga.

An excellent means for generating discussion and collaboration around UA would be through the design, planning and construction of a Naga Farming School. The school would be a pilot project, showcasing all components of an ideal UA initiative in Naga City. The school itself would comprise of a multipurpose building with attached communal gardening plot. Ideally, the site would be on rehabilitated vacant lands which were given over to UA through landowner incentives and enabling policies. The design and planning of the site would take place through collaborative processes between all stakeholders, thus showcasing the city’s ability to listen to all voices and value the knowledge of local people. The garden plots could demonstrate chemical free technologies, act as venues for workshops, and be run by local urban farmers or trained out of school youth. The multi purpose building could be the site for information sessions, workshops, classes, drop-ins, community dinners, cottage industry markets and festivals. The multi-purpose building could also serve as a site for technologies such as vertical gardening, container planting, roof-top gardening, water recycling (rain barrels, etc), and education information associated with these. Health and environmental workshops could also be held here as a means of providing a holistic view of UA and helping the community see the connections between healthy food, healthy bodies and sustainable agriculture. Finally, the centre itself could me constructed for local materials in order to support local industries and promote sustainability to a wider audience.

See the complete 66 page Naga City urban agriculture report here.

See Naga City urban agriculture slide show here.

For green thumbs living in Manila, urban farming is the answer to soaring food prices. It may seem impossible to grow lettuce and eggplant in a crowded, humid environment, but city living has not stopped farmers like Bernabe Atenta from cultivating greens. He and his wife Virgie literally pick out their lunch from their backyard.

“This helps a lot, in securing your family’s welfare. You don’t need to buy vegetables in the market. If all people here in Manila planted vegetables even in pots, it will ease some expenses,” Atenta said.

Not only can they save money, they even harvest enough vegetables to sell at a local market. This livelihood put their children through college. With prices of rice, bread and other basic food items reaching record-highs in the Philippines, farming is all the more important, says Atenta’s wife. “If you don’t have a job now, with such high prices of goods, you really need to farm.

For instance, you have nothing for lunch, but you’ve planted some vegetables, you can eat that, that’s enough,” Virgie Atenta said. In a few weeks time, their seeds blossom into eggplant, spinach, pechay (Chinese white cabbage) and onions. Bernabe Atenta also said the government must turn idle public land otherwise vulnerable to illegal settling into vegetable gardens.

David Ballila, an agriculturist who heads a government-funded farm, says no space is too small for planting. He gives weekly seminars on urban farming to residents of poor communities, and shows them that any crop — broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, you name it — can grow in any weather condition. “You don’t need a big area. Here in our vegetable garden, our designs are for urban spaces. Even if there’s water running through, even if it’s a cemented area, you can plant. There’s no reason not to plant,” Ballila said.

Ballila heads Gulayan at Bulaklakan (Vegetable and Flower Farm), a model community farm that grows a variety of vegetables using space-friendly techniques such as hanging sacks, recycled tyres, plastic bottles and bamboo containers. Food inflation has worsened living conditions for the poor in the Philippines. Three out of ten Filipinos in a population of 88.57 million people live below the government-defined poverty line of 6,274 pesos (149 U.S. dollars) a month per family of five.

Along with the IDRC and the RUAF, Urban Harvest, headquartered in Lima, Peru, is a major centre for international urban agriculture development. This recent publication, 2007, is available for download as a 64 page PDF (3.2MB).

“Although many migrants move to cities in the
expectation of more and better-paid jobs than in the
country-side, we know that many cities have as much as
90% informal employment, meaning occasional and
precarious opportunities for earning income. Urban crop
production and livestock-keeping have been shown to be
complementary activities to casual non-farm work for
many families and improving their income-generating
potential can help them move out of poverty.

Articles from the Philippines, Vietnam and Uganda show the special opportunities that urban and peri-urban producers have to access local input and produce markets.”

This publication is “a review of some of the ongoing work of Urban Harvest, the CGIAR System-wide initiative on urban and peri-urban agriculture, focusing on how initiatives under the themes of urban livelihoods and markets, urban ecosystems health and stakeholder and policy dialogue are helping to support urban poor in Africa, Latin America and Asia.”

Download here. Impacts of Urban Agriculture – Highlights of Urban Harvest Research and Development, 2003-2006.

Subjects from the Table of Contents include:

Introduction to urban livelihoods and markets

Flower power in the Philippines: Strengthening the contribution of the jasmine industry to urban livelihoods

Meals on wheels add a new dynamic to pig raising in Hanoi

Identifying best bet marketing opportunities for Kampala farmers

What should I feed my child? Perceptions of foods for young children
among Lima mothers

Introduction to Urban Ecosystem Health

Adopting Farmer Field Schools to urban realities in Lima, Peru

Research for a cleaner future: Heavy metal contamination in Kampala

Dirty secret treasures in Nairobi

Improving the quality of irrigation water in Lima

Introduction to Stakeholder and Policy Dialogue

Getting agriculture on the municipal agenda in Lima

An urban agricultural model in the making: Kampala, Uganda

Improving the integration of urban agriculture in national and local government in Kenya, through multi-stakeholder platforms

Urban Harvest

Urban Harvest is the CGIAR system wide initiative in urban and peri-urban agriculture, which aims to contribute to the food security of poor urban families, and to increase the value of agricultural production in urban and peri-urban areas, while ensuring the sustainable management of the urban environment. Urban Harvest is hosted and convened by the International Potato Center.

Contact: Gordon Prain, PhD Global Coordinator
CIP, Apartado 1558 Lima 12, Peru
Av. La Molina 1895, La Molina, Lima-Peru
Tel. 51-1-3496017, Ext 2040/3042
email: urbanharvest@cgiar.org

“It has really helped us because we bring home food to our families and we also have a source of income out of vegetables harvested,” said Mr. Flores. “For every harvest, the lowest net income per family is P500,” he said noting income depends on the yield and frequency of harvest of crops planted. He cited that eggplant has an estimated minimum harvest of 10 kilograms a week. “We sell eggplant at P18/kg,” said Mr. Flores. “In the market, eggplant sells at P20/kg.”

Article originally published January 9, 2008 in the Manila based newspaper BusinessWorld. Link to JPEG image of the article here.