INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
TACLOBAN CITY – Officials of Guiuan town in Eastern Samar inaugurated on Nov. 6 a greenhouse project that would help improve food security by adopting innovative agricultural practices.
The greenhouse uses a solar hydroponic system, where vegetables grow with the use of a solar supply instead of soil.
The P2-million project, donated by the Chinese Embassy and established at the town’s Eco-waste and Management Center, would enable the cultivation of several vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, and okra, among others.
Guiuan Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said these crops would not only enhance the nutrition of the local population but contribute to the economic well-being of the community.
“I find the timing appropriate. After all, one of the most critical sectors affected by climate change that brought us typhoons like Super Typhoon Yolanda is agriculture,” she said.
“And one of the most critical concerns is food security. I believe the greenhouse project serves as one of the most sustainable solutions to the problem of food security in the face of the changing climate,” she added.
Kwan urged local vegetable growers who still employed traditional and labor-intensive farming methods to avail themselves of the project to help them use modern ways of planting their vegetables.
The introduction of the modern facility, she said, would help the community gain new knowledge and improve their farming techniques.
Zheny Junlyn, a representative from the Chinese Embassy, said they hoped that the greenhouse project would help local vegetable farmers increase their income aside from learning new technology.
“We hope that our humble donation will contribute to the growth of low-land vegetables and other economic crops and contribute to the income and economic condition of the people here,” she said in her message during the inauguration of the facility located at the town’s eco-waste management center and park in Barangay Santo Niño in Guiuan.
“We hope that our humble contribution will help you to be a place of technological inspiration,” Junlyn said.
The greenhouse project was made possible through the help of 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan, a former congressman of the province.
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