Villar pushes urban agriculture during quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — With people staying at home in compliance with quarantine measures, Sen. Cynthia Villar said yesterday urban agriculture is on the rise.

Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said she has received comments from people that they turned to home gardening as a way to stay productive while passing time.

She cited the work of the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance that built farm schools in Las Piñas City and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan to promote agriculture in urban areas.

“In my encounters with our training participants, I have always highlighted the importance of growing food even if it means planting in containers or small patches of land in their own backyards. Home gardening is a strategy in achieving food security and in making nutritious food accessible to every family,” Villar said. “The flourishing home agriculture is one of the positive outcomes brought by these lockdowns.”

She said home gardens are ready source of food, especially during calamities such as typhoons, occurrence of frost, volcanic eruption and health emergency.

Shortly after the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, Villar distributed compost and vegetable seeds to encourage home gardening in urban areas.