YOUTHS ENGAGED IN FARMING. Some youth council members in Baybay City, Leyte harvesting their vegetable produce. The vegetable gardening initiative of the city is now gaining wider participation among millennials. (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
TACLOBAN CITY – The vegetable gardening initiative by the youth council in Baybay City is now gaining wider participation among millennials.
Since it was launched in July, the program has been involving hundreds of youths in producing healthy and sustainable food for villagers, said Mark Unlu-cay, president of Baybay City Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) federation.
“Due to the lack of access to resources and poor economic opportunities, food security and sufficiency have become key issues amidst this coronavirus pandemic. The SK Federation of Baybay City has spearheaded this program,” Unlu-cay said in a phone interview on Monday.
“This is our way of ensuring sufficient supply of food and much more, to establish a meaningful and productive journey by not just staying at home,” he added.
SK members from the city’s 92 villages have been actively participating in the program in collaboration with East West Seeds Company, Inc., and Baybay City Agriculture Office.
The produce from the vegetable garden has been distributed to the poor, such as pedicab drivers and construction workers.
“We feed these fathers as they continue in their livelihood to provide the needs of their families during this pandemic,” Unlu-cay said.
They use idle lots in their respective villages for community gardening. Aside from idle lots, they also use empty containers in planting the vegetables in backyards.
Vice-Governor Carlo Loreto said youth organizations who find ways to help the community through farming is commendable.
Last June, the province passed an ordinance that provides the youth an equal opportunity, access, and training that includes entrepreneurship and agriculture.
The ordinance aims to address the dwindling number of people engaging in agriculture as more parents persuade their children to take up courses that will land them in a more lucrative job.
Under the ordinance, youth agricultural hubs must be established in the various communities through the Provincial Agriculture Office that will perform oversight functions, while local government units should engage in partnership with national government agencies and non-government organizations including people’s organizations.
“What we have seen is that if we will train youth and encourage them to go into agriculture and in self-sufficiency, they will become more productive in life,” Loreto said.
To market their products, the ordinance encourages conducting a series of youth agricultural trade fairs which will be held every September in the village level, October in the municipal or city level, and November at the provincial level.
The trade fairs will have events such as project pitching competition, awarding of outstanding youth-led agricultural programs, projects and activities, and other youth-related agricultural activities. (PNA)
