Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso visited two of Singapore's leading agriculture and technical skills institutes on Thursday, Jan. 15, to learn its best practices and advanced urban farming technologies as part of the Manila city government's proactive plans to boost its food production and sustainability capabilities.

Domagoso first visited the Institute of Technical Education College East Horticulture Technology Hub, which is well-known for its fully automated indoor farming facility that trains students in smart agriculture and aquaculture, using technologies such as IoT-enabled systems, data analytics, and resource-efficient growing methods to improve crop yield and quality.

He said Manila is interested in adapting similar approaches for urban agriculture and aquaculture, particularly through partnerships with public schools and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry.

"Layunin po nating alamin kung paano maisasabuhay ang ganitong mga teknolohiya sa Lungsod ng Maynila bilang suporta sa ating food sufficiency at food security efforts. Naniniwala tayo na sa pamamagitan ng inobasyon at tamang kaalaman, mas mapapalakas natin ang kakayahan ng ating lungsod na maglaan ng sapat at ligtas na pagkain para sa bawat Manileño (Our goal is to learn how these technologies can be implemented in Manila in support of our food sufficiency and food security efforts. We believe that through innovation and the right knowledge, we can further strengthen our city's ability to provide sufficient and safe food for every Manileño)," Domagoso explained.

He also visited Singapore's Republic Polytechnic wherein the delegation was taught on how to combine advanced agriculture and urban farming to its vocational and technical programs.

"Bilang bahagi ng pagtitiyak sa kinakampeon nating Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) ng bawat Batang Maynila, hindi lamang pagkain ang mahalaga—kailangan ding may trabaho at kabuhayan. Isa po ito sa mga inisyatibang pinag-aaralan nating gawin sa Universidad de Manila (UDM), kasabay ng patuloy na pagpapalakas ng Manila Manpower Development Center (MMDC) bilang lokal na plataporma para sa job-ready at skills-based training (As part of ensuring the Minimum Basic Needs of every Batang Maynila that we champion, it is not just food that is important—we also need jobs and livelihoods. This is one of the initiatives we are studying to implement at the Universidad de Manila, in conjunction with the continued strengthening of the Manila Manpower Development Center as a local platform for job-ready and skills-based training)," the mayor said.

"Sa pamamagitan ng pag-aaral ng mga best practices mula sa ibang bansa at ng pag-angkop ng mga ito sa ating konteksto, unti-unting lumalapit ang Lungsod ng Maynila sa pagiging isang siyudad na may sapat na pagkain, sapat na kaalaman, at sapat na oportunidad para sa lahat (By studying the best practices from other countries and adapting them to our context, Manila is gradually moving closer to becoming a city with enough food, enough knowledge, and enough opportunity for all)," he noted.