'Start home gardening in cities' --- Senator Villar
Published Mar 25, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday urged the public to take advantage of the strict quarantine measures being implemented in the country to start urban agriculture and home gardening projects.
Sen. Cynthia Villar
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) In a statement, Villar said the work suspension and mandatory home stay imposed by the government due to the COVID-19 epidemic "created an opportunity to start worthwhile activities at home." "Sa atin na nasanay na laging may ginagawa, nahihirapan tayo paano papalipasin ang oras” (“Those of us who are used to being busy are finding it difficult to make good use of our time at home”). “Planting is something you can start alone or with your family. It’s a way of introducing agriculture to our children," said Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The senator said people could make avail themselves of online tutorials that are easily available in the Internet to start planting. "Hindi kailangan ng malaking lupain” (“It does not need a big lot”). You can plant in small spaces or containers and start with crop varieties that are easy to grow like pechay, sili (chili), tomato, eggplant, okra, calamansi, among others," she said. Villar said the government should also promote urban agriculture and vertical gardening to help keep people out of the streets as enhanced community quarantine measures are being enforced. She said this would also ensure food security in times of natural calamities and public health emergencies. "Not only can home gardening help enhance food security, it will also help families alleviate micro-nutrient deficiencies by providing direct access to nutritious foods that they don’t have to buy," Villar added. "In between monitoring the news and doing household chores, we should also take steps to boost our immune system while at home. In this aspect, the physical activity involved in gardening will also do us good," she pointed out.
Sen. Cynthia Villar(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) In a statement, Villar said the work suspension and mandatory home stay imposed by the government due to the COVID-19 epidemic "created an opportunity to start worthwhile activities at home." "Sa atin na nasanay na laging may ginagawa, nahihirapan tayo paano papalipasin ang oras” (“Those of us who are used to being busy are finding it difficult to make good use of our time at home”). “Planting is something you can start alone or with your family. It’s a way of introducing agriculture to our children," said Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The senator said people could make avail themselves of online tutorials that are easily available in the Internet to start planting. "Hindi kailangan ng malaking lupain” (“It does not need a big lot”). You can plant in small spaces or containers and start with crop varieties that are easy to grow like pechay, sili (chili), tomato, eggplant, okra, calamansi, among others," she said. Villar said the government should also promote urban agriculture and vertical gardening to help keep people out of the streets as enhanced community quarantine measures are being enforced. She said this would also ensure food security in times of natural calamities and public health emergencies. "Not only can home gardening help enhance food security, it will also help families alleviate micro-nutrient deficiencies by providing direct access to nutritious foods that they don’t have to buy," Villar added. "In between monitoring the news and doing household chores, we should also take steps to boost our immune system while at home. In this aspect, the physical activity involved in gardening will also do us good," she pointed out.