Joy Of Urban Farming
by Jar Concengco
Hunger mitigation and food security are two issues in the country that have seen an expedited response during the pandemic. As people were required to stay home, local government units made sure that no one went hungry by distributing food to its most vulnerable residents. Others found ways to grow their own food despite being in an urban setting with little or no land for a proper garden. These same issues were being tackled back in 2010 by then Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte with her flagship project called The Joy of Urban Farming. Originally located in the Quezon City Circle and now located on the grounds of Quezon City Hall behind the Public Library, The Joy of Urban Farming demo garden is open to educate and inspire its residents on how you can also grow your own food.
Since its inception, The Joy of Urban Farming has helped the largest city of The Philippines grow more gardens in their backyards. Cristina Perez, Project Head of The Joy of Urban Farming says, “In our first year, we have built 20 farms around Quezon City and this grew to over 100 replicated farms inside schools and barangays. We provided them with technology and starter kits such as greenhouses, soil, planting tools and different kinds of seeds.” Currently, 166 areas in barangays and 71 public schools around Quezon City were recipients of these starter kits.
At their demo farm, you can visit the greenhouse where they house the nursery of different types of lettuce and other vegetables. You can also see various upcycled materials used as planters meant to show others that it doesn’t need to be expensive to grow your own food. For example, 1.5-liter bottles laid sideways and suspended on a trellis can be used for vertical gardens housing vines of alugbati. Old electric fan cages can be layered with used rice sacks and can serve as shallow hanging planters. Used egg cartons can be given new life by using them as a starting place for seedlings or nutritious microgreens.
The Joy of Urban Farming champions organic means of growing your own food. One of their goals is to educate others in using natural ways of pest control and fertilizing the soil. Included in their orientation modules is the proper segregation of waste and creating a compost pile. Kitchen scraps can be saved from the landfill and be transformed to fertile soil if composted.
There are many benefits of maintaining an urban farm. Studies from the Journal of Health Psychology have shown that gardening is more effective at reducing stress than reading a book. It can increase your self-esteem and mood just by spending 30 minutes working in a garden. Perez adds, “Gardening can also be a very good way for family bonding. Especially during a pandemic, we have to produce our own food.”
Quezon City Residents can visit the demo farm in Quezon City to receive a starter kit which includes several vegetable seeds such as hot pepper, sitao, and egglpant, a seedling tray, a trowel, and soil. In several months, one can harvest their own vegetables from their own urban garden bringing a genuine “farm-to-table” experience right in their own home. To avail of this starter kit distributed by The Joy of Urban Farming’s Perez or to gain more information on visiting the Demo Garden, please scan the QR code below.