There is a presisting mindset that farming is not compatible with the city. Meanwhile, due to many factors, there is also a growing concern that people living in urban areas are not getting enough access to safe and healthy diet.

The Quezon City government partnered with Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepED), various NGOs, and Allied Botanical Corporation (ABC), a Filipino-owned seed and crop care products company, to implement the "Joy of Urban Farming" program.

The main objectives of the program are to improve nutrition, alleviate poverty, protect the environment by not using chemical fertilizers, and change the mindset of people that farming is not compatible with the city -- eventually trying to convince people to adopt the idea of cultivating their own, which will provide them with a safe and healthy diet.

The program is funded by the Vice Mayor’s office, while the DA and the DENR provide financial grants, and ABC supplies with planting materials.

The first demo farm was established in 2010 at the Quezon Memorial Circle. The farm used to be just a 750-square metres area but was moved to a better site in 2014, and now has an area of 1,500 square metres.

For creating additional planting spaces, recycled plastic soda bottles are used. Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, pechay, and upland kangkong are commonly planted. Since they have shallow roots, recycled containers can be used. The three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) principle is thus applied.

More than 43,000 individuals have visited the “Joy of Urban Farming”, and from three demo farms, the city now hosts 166 urban farms which can be found in different barangays (inner city neighbourhoods), public elementary schools, day-care centers, parishes, and even in areas maintained by the various non-government organizations (NGOs) from Districts 1 to 6 in Quezon City. It is expeted that all farms will become self-funding and sustainable in the long run.

In the near future, the local government of Quezon City might also be able to institutionalize urban farming through ordinances and appropriate programs to cover all the barangays in the city, including more elementary and high schools.

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash