DAR rolls out Buhay sa Gulay project in Nueva Ecija
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the province of Nueva Ecija recently launched its first ever Buhay sa Gulay Demo Farm in Brgy. San Francisco, Sto. Domingo, to promote the significance of urban farming, and help contribute to the province’s food security.
Buhay sa Gulay project is an initiative of DAR Secretary Brother John Castriciones to have an urban farming project that is not a dole-out but a self-help start-up livelihood project where concerned government agencies and organizations will converge, share resources, and offer an opportunity to enable the urban farmers to produce various vegetables, that could also serve as additional source of income.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Eden Ponio said the first urban farming project of the province is in collaboration with the Eastern Santo Domingo Agriculture Cooperative (ESDAC) and a 6,000 square meter lot is allotted for vegetable production.
“During this time of pandemic, it is imperative that we have food resources that we can depend on. Through the Buhay sa Gulay project, we could have a regular supply of vegetables in the community, as well as inspire our urban dwellers to cultivate their own yards and plant vegetables for their own consumption, where they could also save money to spend for food,” Ponio said.
The urban farming project was launched in November last year in Tondo, Manila. It was replicated by the cities of Quezon and Caloocan in NCR. Seeing the success of Buhay sa Gulay project, other urban areas nationwide followed suit including provinces of Palawan, Tacloban, Oriental Mindoro, Davao, Cebu, among others.
Sto. Domingo Mayor Mayor Imee De Guzman lauded the department for always being on the side of small farmers and helping them flourish despite the challenges brought by Covid-19.
“And with this project, the DAR is helping our town to have a sufficient supply of food resources,” De Guzman said.
Meanwhile, ESDAC Chairperson May Pinili expressed her gratitude to the DAR for all the interventions and support the ARBO had received through the years and pledged that it would live up to expectations that they would succeed and would also help support the community in providing fresh food supplies.