DAR-Surigao Norte workers go into vegetable gardening
BUTUAN CITY – Officers and employees of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Surigao del Norte (DAR-SDN) have developed a 1,000-square-meter area near their office for vegetable gardening.
DAR-SDN agrarian reform program officer, Elizabeth de Guzman, said the move to develop an area for vegetable gardening aims to support the food requirements of the employees amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis.
“The government is encouraging the people to plant vegetables and develop backyard gardens in the midst of this pandemic. This is our way of complying (with) this call and to ensure that our employees will have sources of food,” de Guzman told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday.
She said the area for gardening had been prepared over the weekend and is ready for the planting.
“We rented a tractor from our Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization for the land preparation and the area is now ready for planting,” de Guzman said, adding that vegetable seeds provided by the Department of Agriculture in Surigao del Norte will be planted in the area.
The employees also bought cassava seedlings that will be planted around the area and serve as a fence, she said.
“I assigned each division to develop its own gardens. Right now, we have eight divisions in the office that will ensure vegetable production in the area we developed,” de Guzman said.
She also noted the importance of developing backyard gardens not only to ensure continuous food supply but also as an alternative hobby for employees instead of going out of their homes.
“During this time of the pandemic, we are urged by the government to limit our activities outside our home, especially in going to public places. Our employees will no longer need to go outside to buy vegetables as these will be supplied by our own garden,” de Guzman said.
She thanked the owner of the 1,000-square-meter land for allowing them to use it for gardening.
“This area is a proposed private birthing home but the construction was postponed due to the pandemic. We are thankful to the doctor who owns this land for giving us space to develop our garden,” de Guzman said. (PNA)
