LGUs urged to adopt QC’s urban farms

Local government units (LGUs) and state agencies overseeing food production initiatives should adopt the highly successful urban farming program of the Quezon City government as a model to effectively help families cope with rising prices of food.

Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas said the program, started by Mayor Joy Belmonte in 2010 during her term as vice mayor, has helped establish more than 160 organic farms in backyards, daycare centers, churches, and communal spaces in the city.

“Mayor Belmonte sees the program, and other similar programs in Quezon City, as a means to mitigate hunger in communities by encouraging and helping citizens to produce and grow their own vegetables, both as food and as a source of livelihood,” Vargas said.

“This is a model of sustainability and self-sufficiency that can be adopted by the national government and other local government units.”

Vargas said the Sharon Farm in District V, for example, is considered one of the city’s community model farms under the GrowQC Food Security Program.

The 5,000 square-meter farm serves as a “feeder farm,” providing seedlings and other agricultural inputs for other urban gardens and farms in Quezon City. This was made possible through a partnership with the Diocese of Novaliches that allowed access to idle land within its property.

At the same time, Vargas expressed support for a proposal to utilize the national tax allocation (NTA) of LGUs to address the looming food crisis and strengthen the agricultural sector.

Vargas said the Supreme Court’s ‘Mandanas Ruling’ has given local governments the additional resources to address the needs of their constituents, including food and other basic needs.

“Local governments now have more opportunities and added elbow room to not only ensure the efficient delivery of basic services but to extend to their constituents the services they need during times of crisis or emergencies,” he said.

Under the Mandanas ruling, named after a petition filed by Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, the Supreme Court said local governments are entitled to a share of all taxes collected by the national government.

Vargas said the decision, to be implemented by the national government this year, is expected to increase LGUs’ shares by as much as 27.61 percent.

“The national government and the local governments should work together to address the looming food crisis, which will affect the livelihood and welfare of millions of families,” he said.

He added that a food crisis would adversely affect the country’s security and stability, thus requiring the serious attention of our leaders at the national and local levels.

“At times like this, we need to innovate and adapt to be more resilient. Many local governments can learn from Quezon City’s initiatives to strengthen food security. But these innovations need to be supported by sufficient resources and, just as important, by the bayanihan of the communities and people who will most benefit from these solutions,” Vargas said.