Last updated: February 2023
The project focuses on creating communal vegetable gardens in different barangays (small territorial and administrative districts forming the most local level of government) in Iloilo City. As part of the Plant Plant Plant Program of the Department of Agriculture, the project was initially implemented in 12 districts in the city, to provide jobs, and nutritious food and increase public awareness about food production and security amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, the project has expanded to 44 more districts, and the city has also issued a regulation to institutionalize urban gardening activities in the city. The communal gardens are expected not only to serve as a source of food but also as a source of livelihood to combat the threat of hunger and poverty. Apart from vegetable gardens, the city also looks into introducing integrated farming in which districts can also plant fruit-bearing trees and raise chickens and tilapia and also provides a series of seminars to empower district residents to produce and sell their food. Currently, around 300 hectares in the city are planted with rice and vegetables [1,2,3]
The urban gardening project of the village Sambag, Jaro, one of the 12 barangays that implemented the “JPT Ediscape for Iloilo City” that was implemented in August 2020.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177821
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Environmental education
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: agriculture
- Employment/job creation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The initiative was launched as a communal vegetable gardening project to augment the food supply in the middle of a public health crisis. Specifically, the project aimed to:
1. Establish urban farms in the 180 districts in the city;
2. Ensure household food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Provide jobs and nutritious food;
4. Increase public awareness about food production and security;
5. Fostering unity for socio-economic recovery after the pandemic and empowering residents through barangay-based cultivation [1,2,3,5,6]
Implementation activities
Through the Department of Agriculture Western Visayas (DA-WV), in partnership with the Iloilo City Government, the initiative was initially piloted in three villages in the city. The DA-WV, through its High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), distributed vegetable seeds, plastic pots, and drums for the establishment of communal gardens for the three recipient villages [2]. The initiative was then expanded to more than 50 districts in several consecutive stages [1, 4]. Finally, the city has institutionalized urban farming, requiring all 180 districts to identify urban farming areas. If there are no suitable areas for farming, the districts can enter into a memorandum of agreement with public schools where the garden will be established. The ordinance will also mandate the provision of PHP1.5 million yearly as seed capital to be used for the procurement of seeds, vermicast and other inputs [3].
Promoting integrated farming, the city established a 4,000 square meter lot in Barangay Tacas, Jaro, that has been equipped with hydroponics, a greenhouse, and drip irrigation by the Department of Agriculture [1]. In addition, the city also held trainings that taught people how to prepare compost, start a plant nursery, and transfer seedlings, and conducted seminars about urban farming to empower representatives of the districts and orienting stakeholders about the new urban farming ordinance. There will also be a competition for the most productive urban garden. [4]
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Marginalized groups: Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Department of Agriculture Western Visayas (DA-WV) and the Iloilo City Government piloted the initiative [2] The city government provides financial support for the acquisition of seeds and other farming inputs [4] The Department of Agriculture provides training on urban farming [1,2] The vegetable gardens are maintained by the district representatives [2,3]
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(Plant Plant Plant Program of the Department of Agriculture [2]
Gender and Development Program (GAD) [5])
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved soil quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Generation of income from NBS
- Other
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Education
- Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
[1] Lena, P. (2021). Iloilo City expands urban garden project. [online] Source link. Available at: Source link [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[2] Iloilo Today (2020). DA pilots urban gardening in Iloilo City thru ‘adopt a barangay’ program. [online] Iloilo Today. Available at: Source link [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[3] Lena, P. (2022). Iloilo City institutionalizes urban agriculture. [online] Source link. Available at: Source link. [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[4] Lena, P. (2022). 31 more Iloilo City villages to adopt urban gardening. Philippine News Agency. [online] 22 Feb. Available at: Source link [Accessed 9 Feb. 2023].
[5] PanayNews (2021) Power in Green. Available at: Source link [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
[6] Nonoy Taclino, IloIlo Today (2020) Iloilo City starts edible landscaping. Available at: Source link [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
[2] Iloilo Today (2020). DA pilots urban gardening in Iloilo City thru ‘adopt a barangay’ program. [online] Iloilo Today. Available at: Source link [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[3] Lena, P. (2022). Iloilo City institutionalizes urban agriculture. [online] Source link. Available at: Source link. [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[4] Lena, P. (2022). 31 more Iloilo City villages to adopt urban gardening. Philippine News Agency. [online] 22 Feb. Available at: Source link [Accessed 9 Feb. 2023].
[5] PanayNews (2021) Power in Green. Available at: Source link [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
[6] Nonoy Taclino, IloIlo Today (2020) Iloilo City starts edible landscaping. Available at: Source link [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the "NBS 2022" UNA Asian extension project funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation.