GENERAL TRIAS CITY, Cavite – Amid the industrial ‘boom’ in this city, the city government is sprucing up to become an environment-friendly and green city by encouraging residents to transform idle lots and backyards into urban gardens.
“Let us plant in our backyards and encourage others also in their open spaces in their respective areas,” urged City Councilor Vivencio ‘Pafoo’ Lozares, chair of the Committee on Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panglungsod (city legislative council) during the launching of the “Urban Agriculture Practices” at the Barangay Pinagtipunan Demonstration Farm here.
“Sayang naman ang mga vacant spaces sa ating lugar, mas maganda po kung ito ay may mga tanim na maari nating magamit sa ating pagkain sa araw-araw (The vacant spaces here remain idle, so it is better if we have these planted and harvest them later for our daily food requirements),” Lozares added.
City Mayor Antonio Ferrer, through the City Agriculture Office headed by City Agriculturist Nerie Marquez, conceptualized the urban gardening program not only for a greener environment but also to spare households from additional expenses on food ingredients.
At Tuesday’s gathering at the demo farm, Marquez also encouraged homeowners to plant vegetables in their backyards and open spaces for greener environment and save money from buying basic cooking ingredients and condiments.
She said these are the easily grown variety in the garden like tomato, chili, okra, eggplant, ‘tanglad’ (lemon grass), and malunggay, among other vegetables.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd)-GenTri schools division, through school superintendents Dr. Edna Bayot and Dr. Lorie Garcia, also launched their indigenous school farming or garden at the Sunny Brooke Elementary School in Barangay San Francisco.
The DepEd officials also encouraged school principals and teachers in the city’s 33 barangays to teach their students to plant indigenous plants in their respective campuses.
Bayot said that the use of indigenous plants can address malnutrition among kids and school teachers are instrumental in teaching learners to integrate growing of vegetables and encourage parents to adopt the school’s greening program.
According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), the indigenous vegetables comprise the varieties that are native to a particular environment.
While these plants are usually abundant in rural spaces, these could be planted even on small plots or ‘paso’ (pots) in the urban areas like this city, which is still dotted with quite a number of open spaces and green patches where these vegetables could be grown.
School officials and homeowners said that even small amounts of consuming green, leafy and nutritious indigenous vegetables could ensure good health and prevent malnutrition among kids. (Dennis Abrina/PNA)
