Dumaguete goes urban farming

CEBU, Philippines – Due to the decreasing land area for agriculture, the Dumaguete City Agriculture Office (CAO) is now in the process of implementing an urban farming project.

City Agriculturist William Ablong said the project has a funding support of P500,000 from the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD), which is a pet project of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.

From an area of 3,362 hectares or about 35 square kilometers, Dumaguete City now has only about 948 hectares for crops and vegetables, and the remaining hectarage is further diminished by massive construction projects and commercial conversions, Ablong told The Freeman.

This prompted his office to initiate the containerized farming technology program in eight barangays in the city proper, as a way of addressing the lack of space for agriculture, he said.

Under the program, residents of the eight barangays will be taught how to produce organic fertilizers, out of wastes from the kitchens of houses and even restaurants, which will also reduce the volume of biodegradables going to the dumpsite at Barangay Candau-ay.

The CAO has also reported, during an interaction with the local media, that the Department of Agriculture has also allotted P1.5 million to sustain the high-value commercial crop projects of the city. Part of the amount will be used to acquire equipment for rice threshers, Ablong said. — (FREEMAN)