Urban farmers were able to sell over 600 kilograms of vegetables harvested from a soccer field-turned-urban garden lot during the 1st Harvest Festival in Tondo, Manila last Sunday.

Through the "Buhay sa Gulay" (Life in Vegetables) project led by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), in partnership with St. John Bosco Parish, Department of Agriculture, and city government of Manila, the resident-beneficiaries of Tondo were able to earn about P19,000 from the pick, harvest, and pay activity in just a span of two hours.

Around 8,000 square meters of the idle soccer field, managed by St. John Bosco Parish in Tondo, was converted into an urban vegetable garden in October last year, which benefitted families and residents of 17 barangays around the parish to cushion the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the community.

"Kapag nagtutulungan at nagkakaisa ang mga mamamayan, ang pamahalaan, at ang simbahan, ay siguradong magkakaroon ng isang produktibong programa na magpapaunlad sa pamayanan (When the people, the government, and the church work together and unite, there will definitely be a productive program that will develop the community),” DAR Secretary John Castriciones said.

He said the Buhay sa Gulay harvest festival demonstrated the concerted effort of the local and national government agencies in bringing about farm products in the city through the dedication, commitment, and hardwork extended by farmer-scientists from Cavite and Tondo urban farmers.

"Ang mamamayan po ng Tondo ay maaari nang mag-ani ng gulay mula sa lupang ipinahiram ng Simbahan at bayaran ng diretso ang mga produktong kanilang naani. Hindi na nila kailangang pumunta sa palengke dahil sariwang-sariwa ang mga gulay na kanilang maaani.dito. Siguradong magiging masigla at malusog ang pangangatawan ng mga mamamayan dito (The people of Tondo can now harvest vegetables from the land lent by the church and pay directly for the products they harvest. They no longer have to go to the market because the vegetables they can harvest are very fresh. Definitely, the people here will be vibrant and healthy)," Castriciones added.

He also emphasized that during this time of pandemic, "Filipinos must unite and help each other not only to combat the negative effect of the COVID-19 in the county but also to help bring back its citizen to farming activities."

The DAR chief disclosed that aside from Tondo, other local government units in Metro Manila will soon follow in establishing their own urban vegetable garden, such as Quezon City and Caloocan City.

"Sa pamamagitan ng pagsasaka, ang mga mamamayan ng siyudad ay hindi na kailangan umasa sa ibang lalawigan para sa suplay ng mga gulay (By farming, city residents will no longer have to rely on other provinces for the supply of vegetables)," he added.