Iloilo City starts edible landscaping

Iloilo City has embarked on landscaping for food by planting vegetables.

City Population Office (CPO) and Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPOs) have started “JPT Ediscape (Edible landscaping), for Iloilo City” implemented in time for the Charter Day celebration which highlights on Aug. 25.

The initiative is in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office 6, City Agriculturist’s Office, Liga ng mga Barangay, General Services Office, City Health Office Nutrition Program, and City Department of the Interior and Local Government.

CPO provided garden tools for participating barangays Banuyao, Don Esteban, Magsaysay, Navais, Sooc, Balantang, Sambag, Montinola, South Fundidor, Calumpang, Concepcion and Jalandoni-Wilson with women members. Beneficiaries are indigent women of reproductive age with children below five years old, out-of-school youth and adolescents, and barangay officials.

DA-6 provided seeds, instructional materials, agricultural supplies such as molasses and vermicast, and technical assistance for barangays.

The validation team conducted ocular visit in July of 12 project sites followed by briefing or orientation and land preparation; sowing of seeds; then distribution, and planting of seeds.

Regular project monitoring visits and consultation meetings are being undertaken until October when the harvesting and marketing of vegetable produced, and bookkeeping and documentation of expenses and harvesting will be done.

The project aims to unite, empower and gather the barangays for quick socioeconomic recovery. It also promotes over-all health and well-being of residents through nutrient-rich organic vegetables, and provides economic livelihood opportunities to recipients.

The objective is to increase the productivity of indigent families.

“This is a way of empowering our women that’s why we connect this to Gender and Development Program under the leadership of Mayor Jerry Treñas. This project is named after him because he really wants to mitigate the effects of COVID-19,” City Population Officer Mary Ann Ramos said.

New organic gardens without chemical fertilizer with use of recyclable materials have been highly encouraged.

The contest criteria include yield/production or number of kilos for 50 percent; high participation of beneficiaries for 20 percent; and land maximization and presentation; and utilization of recyclable materials for 15 percent each. (Alexandra Jover/Iloilo City PIO)