Urban agriculture

AMIDST the government’s relentless efforts to find an answer to the continuing drama of food price increases, particularly for rice, vegetables, and fish, the concept of urban agriculture seems a very promising alternative that can help manage and stabilize the prices of prime commodities. Urban agriculture can also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and the climate change mitigation.

Urban agriculture pertains to the cultivation, processing, and distribution of food within a community to address the needs of its members. Urban farming is undertaken for the following purposes: (1) for addressing food shortage in the community; (2) for maintaining the environment; (3) for ensuring adequate food supply within the community; and, (4) stabilization and strengthening of food prices in the market. In the recent years, because of the benefits derived from its utilization, urban agriculture has gradually gained popularity in urbanized localities and countries around the world. These cities and countries include Queensland in Australia, Cairo in Egypt, Havana in Cuba, Mumbai in India, Bangkok in Thailand, in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Argentina.

During my tenure as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), I was able to implement vertical gardening in designated areas along EDSA. This undertaking was aimed at reducing air pollution caused by fuel combustion from motor vehicles. I also remember some MMDA street sweepers having planted vegetables such as beans and legumes in small vacant areas along EDSA, yields of which they were also able to bring home for their families to eat.

Among the benefits that may be derived from urban agriculture are: (1) food security for the community; (2) lower prices of basic food commodities due to lesser expenses in the transport, handling, and storage of food products; (3) pollution reduction due to the presence of plants consuming carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas; (4) urban waste reduction, as some of these are converted into fertilizers for crops; (5) improvement of urban environments due to the presence of greens; and (6) reduction in the levels of malnutrition in cities by providing poor families with food produce that meet their nutritional needs.

Urban gardening is an easily doable and less costly alternative solution to prevent this present food crisis from worsening. Not only will it address the situation we are experiencing at present; it will likewise improve urban liveability by reducing pollution and solid waste. It’s like hitting two or more birds with a single stone cast. It is high time that people in urban areas are educated and made to understand the importance of urban agriculture in ensuring natural environment, human health, and national progress.