Marcos asks Filipinos to support urban agriculture to ensure food security, protect environment

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. attends the 72nd anniversary of the DSWD and the inauguration ceremony of its new multi-purpose building.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged Filipinos to support urban agriculture in an effort to address the high prices of food and supply.

He made the remark at the launch of the urban agriculture programs by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) at Rizal Park in Manila.

“As this initiative consolidates the programs of these two agencies on urban agriculture, I am confident that we will further increase our capacity to take part in our goal to address poverty, ensure food security, and protect the environment even at the barangay level,” he said in his speech.

“With the fusion of these two programs, I am certain we will be able to quickly and effectively promote urban agriculture in the entire country and to foster greater ties among residents at the barangay level,” Marcos added.

With this, he urged Filipinos to support the programs “to help communities recover from rising prices, the impact of calamities, and the other threats to food security.”

He also assured the public that the government “remains committed to providing our people with access to fresh, nutritious food at an affordable cost.”

The Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas At Gulay, Kadiwa’y Yaman, Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement (Hapag Kay PBBM) merges two programs of the DA and the DILG.

For the DA’s part, its program aims to increase local production of fruits and vegetables by turning urban, peri-urban, and rural areas into patches of green, edible landscapes.

“This program encourages our people to grow their own food and other kitchen ingredients close to home, which improves access to affordable, safe, nutritious meals every day,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, DILG’s program seeks to build community gardens in every barangay to diversify food sources and to contribute to food security within each neighborhood.

Marcos said the interior department is tasked to identify areas in barangays where community gardens can be set up.

“Ang bawat isa ay siyempre mayroon silang sarili at pagsasama parang maliit na cooperative para ipagsasama-sama  lahat ng kanilang supply, kani-kanilang share,” the President said.

(Everyone would have their own garden and there will be shared ones like small cooperatives where they can pool their supplies.)

Marcos said the challenges of food shortages and price hikes serve as an opportunity to “rethink our supply systems.”

“This is a good beginning but we must continuously come up with more innovative solutions to address hunger and make nutritious food available to every Filipino,” he said.

JMS