‘Green thumbing’ for food, nutrition on the fingertips

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 27 (PIA)—As the lure of cities continue, shrinking urban space, increasing urban poverty, consequent food insecurity and malnutrition that goes with it and the need for aesthetics in ornamental plants, what would you do? 

Here, over ornamentals, agriculturists would rather push for food gardening in the urban setting to respond to the issue. 

In the Philippines, there is a continuous movement of the people from the rural to urban areas. 

But just as efforts to slow down the exodus are starting to get in place, urbanization continues, heightening urban poverty, food insecurity which breeds a host of complex social problems, according to the Agricultural Training Institute in Region 7 (ATI-7), now based in Bohol. 

But, ATI sees urban agriculture as a solution. 

Urban agriculture offers a complementary strategy to counter the rise of urban poverty and food insecurity, according to the ATI in Bohol. 

Urban agriculture transforms cities to food generators instead of just consumers of food and other agricultural products, ATI through its Information Services Section said. 

When cities become producers, they contribute to sustainability, improved health and nutrition and poverty alleviation, ATI said. 

The ATI proposal also gets closely linked with the National Nutrition Council’s call to make growing plans as a habit, to harvest better nutrition. 

In July when the country celebrates Nutrition month, the NNC picked “Ugaliin’g magtanin; sapat na Nutrisyon ay aanihin,” as guiding theme. 

Urban gardening, also the more socially acceptable term for agriculture, means growing plants and the raising animals within and around cities by integrating them into the urban economic and ecological system. 

In fact, in the age of recycling, urban gardeners have presented recycled materials as perfect ideas for planters, seed bed and compost. 

Empty plastic bottles, toilet paper rolls, egg trays, paper coffee cups, discarded tires, empty pallets, plastic bags, even egg shells filled with compost from kitchen left-overs, can grow vegetables for food, agriculturists said. 

Before starting a garden, ATI advised: Identify the purpose if the garden and determine the available spaces for plants or for plant containers. 

Then, determine the right kind or type of vegetables to be raised, so one can suit up and find the right containers. 

And then, one needs to prepare a seed box for growing seedlings, ATI said. 

And if one needs to know more about how to do urban gardening and learn of some ideas, ATI said they just have the perfect module for that. 

A course called Basics in Urban Gardening is available from www.e-extension.com/elearning, according to Doris Isabelle Racho, ATI Information Officer. 

At the current cost of living in Tagbilaran and faced with the challenge of food security and care for the environment and its protection, growing a garden in the city might just be a good hobby which can potentially help one save and eat better food. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)