In the face of adversity

A growing number of countries are experiencing extreme food shortages on a global scale, reversing years of development. Due to a variety of factors such as conflict, socioeconomic conditions, and natural disasters, chronic and acute hunger were on the rise even before COVID-19 depressed wages and disrupted supply chains. The effects of COVID-19 have caused major and widespread increases in global food insecurity, affecting poor households in almost every country, and the effects are expected to last well into 2021 and 2022.

Even in the face of adversity, Filipinos are resilient. These are the times when our creative juices run freely. We take all of our choices in order to save our families and others for as long as possible. We also know that because of our innate ability to rise above atrocities, we will be able to combat this pandemic.

We forget who we are, even though we have attained a certain high level of rank or status in life, and we are able to make compromises to do things without actually transgressing others in order to ensure the survival of our loved ones. In this survival game, food is important. And, since our buying power is at an all-time low, if not negative, we must find creative ways to make things work.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has recently been visiting barangays and puroks that have successfully implemented the Sugbusog Program, a province-wide initiative aimed at providing every family with the opportunity to be productive and self-sufficient through vegetable gardening. Both the Purok and Household Levels obtained entries. Containerized Gardening and Backyard Gardening are the two subcategories of both of these. The program was designed to provide seedlings to community members who wanted to begin their own backyard gardening.Because of the program's popularity, the good governor decided to replicate it in public schools. Increasing the scope of its food security program to include both public elementary and secondary school campuses. The governor led the launch of the "SugBusog sa Eskuwelahan Program" in April of this year, involving schools in encouraging backyard gardening to fight hunger in the wake of the pandemic. SugBusog: Sugboanong Busog Luwas ug Himsog is an offshoot of the key initiative.

There will be additional points for any school that can request technical assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for processing their harvests, as well as those that can plant herbs and medicinal plants, in the spirit of collaborating with or engaging other important government agencies. The Department of Agriculture, on the other hand, would provide technical assistance to schools on how to properly conduct backyard gardening. Seeds, native chicken, organic fertilizers, and farming equipment will also be provided by the agency and distributed to the schools.

The Sugbusog program is truly inspiring communities to be of great assistance to the community's families. It lays the groundwork for cultivating a positive attitude that we can become self-sufficient if we accept the concept of producing what we need close to our homes. Even in our darkest moments, we will persevere.