ALFONSO, Cavite - The municipal government is using its idle land to produce crops and vegetables for indigent families and malnourished children under an initiative called Org-ANI-ko.
The farm-to-table program is a joint project of the local government unit (LGU) through the Municipal Agriculture Office and the Proud Farmers of Alfonso.
On Friday (July 17), freshly-harvested corn, tomatoes, okra, and string beans were distributed to beneficiaries from different barangays.
Municipal Agriculture Officer Eugenia Mojica told Manila Bulletin that the land they are farming is supposed to be the construction site for a new municipal hall. However, with the LGU still waiting for funds for the project, Mayor Randy Salamat decided to put the land to good use in the meantime.
In coordination with local farmers, the municipal government started tilling the land in late April, when Cavite was still under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The project was meant to provide nutritious food for the needy, as the informal sector is greatly affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.
"Coordinated namin 'yun sa aming Municipal Health Office, meron silang list ng mga malnourished children. Na-coordinate din sa barangay captains (We coordinated with the Municipal Health Office, they have a list of malnourished children. We also coordinated with barangay captains)," Mojica said. "Gusto namin lahat ng humingi ay mabigyan, so hinahati-hati ang harvest (We wanted to give produce to everyone who needs it, so we divided the harvest)."
Aside from the produce distributed on Friday, the farm is also abundant with Baguio beans, eggplant, squash, cassava, kangkong, pechay, and mustard greens.