The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) turned over on Monday, Dec. 20, its edible garden to the Department of Agriculture (DA) in a bid to promote edible landscaping in urban areas of the country.
Through the Institute of Crop Science of the College of Agriculture and Food Science, the UPLB crafted the “Hardin ng Kalusugan at Pagkain” (garden of health and food) as part of the edible landscaping (EL), a farming method in which basic landscaping principles and artistry are attractively merged with crop production to deliver a consistent supply of vegetables to households.
The turnover was held at the DA Central Office in Quezon City.
DA secretary William Dar and other officials from the department led the ceremony and ceremonial turnover of the shovel, symbolizing food cultivation and production through edible landscaping.
Designed after the DA's logo, the department's EL garden started construction last August. The project is under Plant, Plant, Plant program and was funded by the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).
It supports the department's attempts to build a food-resilient community in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it encourages urban farming by using a variety of accessible technologies such as organic farming, vertical farming, hydroponics, and horticulture.
"The design of our marker symbolizes kung ano iyong crop production, encouraging crop production and urban agriculture. Lahat ng nakadikit po doon ay tools in plant production (The design of our marker symbolizes what crop production, encouraging crop production and urban agriculture is. Every tool in plant production is there," said UPLB-EL project leader, Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr.