A total of eighty (80) urban-dweller beneficiaries under the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) project called “Buhay sa Gulay” has started planting portions of the seven (7) hectare land in Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, the second urban vegetable farming project launched in Metro Manila, to provide barangay residents a steady and continuous supply of different vegetables throughout the year.
DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Office Atty. Emily O. Padilla said “The project started with a vision to help feed the seven percent of the population in Bagong Silangan, in New Greenland Farm. And with the trust to each one of you that you can grow and develop these plants. Be confident that you can stand alone, and that Quezon City can become the center of agriculture, even if it is in the midst of a highly urbanized city.”
DAR-Calabarzon Regional Director Rene Colocar said the resident-beneficiaries of the QC pilot site of the DAR’s 2nd urban vegetable farming project in Metro Manila were able to plant vegetable seedlings to around one hectare of the total 7-hectare scope of landholding.
He said, forty-five (45) garden plots measuring 1-meter x 12-meter each were prepared for the planting activity. Healthy competition was conducted among the resident-beneficiaries. The group was divided into five (5) identified teams and were all provided with their own parcels of land to develop. Each team gets a maximum of 9 garden plots which constitute a parcel.
“After planting, the team shall ensure that all the required day to day cultural management activities and operations are done until the plants are ready for harvesting after 25 days,” he said.
Colocar disclosed that a 7-hectare semi-mechanized vegetable garden city of Kyusi would generate an average additional income of Php125,488 per urban dweller participant per year.
The planting activity is being undertaken in partnership with six (6) agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOS) from DAR-Cavite and two (2) ARBOs from DAR-Rizal. These farmers are all trained and capacitated by the DAR and the Department of Agriculture (DA) and are all considered as farmer-scientists, who taught the 80 direct urban dwellers participants the technical know-how on the proper way of urban vegetable gardening.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said “This is my dream project that we may be able to have an urban farm in our city so that we will not rely on other provinces for our livelihood and for our food.”
Bagong Silangan Barangay Chairman Wilfredo Cara said that the residents in their community are very happy with this project because they would soon have a regular source of vegetables in the area.
DAR and the local government of QC launched the 2nd “Buhay sa Gulay” project last January 8, 2021 and they target to conduct their first harvest on February 14, 2021.###
