More households with survival gardens

BAGUIO CITY – 16 February 2021 – Some 5,200 households in the city’s 128 barangays were able to establish their respective survival gardens as part of the strategies employed by the local government to help mitigate the economic impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID) 2019 pandemic.

City Veterinarian Dr. Brigit Piok disclosed that the local government, in partnership with the agriculture department, was able to distribute some P2.75 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds and seedlings in addition to the less than a million city funds for the put up of survival gardens for those who availed of the assistance.

Last year, the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) launched the survival gardening project by distributing free vegetable seeds and seedlings through the barangays as an immediate response to the economic impact of the ongoing health pandemic.

Also, the CVAO in partnership with the State-run Benguet State University (BSU), implemented a science and technology-based home and school gardening project to four barangays and two schools using less than P1 million fund from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

Together with the Highly Urbanized City Agriculture and Fisheries Council (HUCAFC), the CVAO is currently maintaining a 1,000-square meter area that their office adopted at the Wright Park for the propagation of assorted vegetable seedlings. The seedlings will be distributed to residents who want to pursue the establishment of their survival gardens.

At the same time, the CVAO launched the 4H FARMVILLE farming and marketing program through values integration, leadership and experiential learning project in barangay Irisan in partnership with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).

According to her, the CVAO organized the Baguio City Farmers Agriculture Cooperative and registered the same with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

Moreover, in support to urban agriculture, the agriculture department provided some P5.3 million for the various livelihood projects that were implemented such as the free-range chicken meat and egg type; mushroom production; assistance to cutflower farmers and strawberry production.

“The CVAO will embark on the implementation of a P2.7 million aquaponics project that will be funded by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aside from the P1.25 million from the agriculture department for community and school gardens; another P1.3 million for strawberry production; P500,000 for mushroom production and P10 million for livestock projects on raising free range chicken, apiary and rabbit raising; P4.8 million for shared service facility on meat processing and P3.1 million for coffee processing.” – Dexter A. See