ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Mayor Isko pushes for urban farming in Manila, eyes conversion of idle lands to green spaces

Mayor Isko pushes for urban farming in Manila, eyes conversion of idle lands to green spaces

Published Feb 18, 2026 02:11 pm
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso visited the Metro Pacific Fresh Farms (MPFF) in San Rafael, Bulacan, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, to check on the facility's urban farming techniques and technologies that could be implemented in Manila to address food shortages. (Photo from Manila PIO)
Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso visited the Metro Pacific Fresh Farms (MPFF) in San Rafael, Bulacan, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, to check on the facility's urban farming techniques and technologies that could be implemented in Manila to address food shortages. (Photo from Manila PIO)

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno" Domagoso visited Metro Pacific Fresh Farms (MPFF) in San Rafael, Bulacan, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, as part of his administration's bid to introduce modern urban farming technologies in Manila to curb food shortages and ensure food security in the city. 

MPFF Director Shahar Turgeman showed Domagoso the facility’s operations and its use of controlled-environment agriculture to produce vegetables efficiently and consistently.

Turgeman explained MPFF is a greenhouse complex that utilizes controlled-environment agriculture to grow vegetables in a managed setting.

According to Domagoso, the city government is currently planning to convert open and idle spaces in Manila into urban farming areas to help strengthen local food supply.

He had also inspected a 23-hectare property in Boystown Manila being considered for agricultural use and received P463,343.62 worth of tool kits and training equipment from TESDA for local training institutions as part of broader preparations for urban farming initiatives.

A joint effort

On Jan. 15, the mayor, together with officials and experts from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), made technical visits to Singapore's Institute of Technical Education College East Horticulture Technology Hub, Republic Polytechnic, and National University of Singapore (NUS) as part of the city's assessment of how smart agriculture systems could be adapted locally, particularly for food production within limited urban space. 

The delegation 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.

They then went to Singapore's Republic Polytechnic, wherein the delegation was taught how to combine advanced agriculture and urban farming into its vocational and technical programs.

With the knowledge and technology obtained by the officials during the trip, Domagoso said the city government is now moving toward integrating national agencies, local government units (LGUs), and the private sector to pilot urban food production initiatives.

He had also held discussions with Israeli representatives on agricultural technologies, including water-efficient systems and modern farming methods suited for limited spaces.

The mayor also met with Department of Agriculture (DA) officials to discuss high-density urban gardening initiatives and possible technical support for the city.

Related Tags

ISKO MORENO DOMAGOSO URBAN FARMING FOOD SHORTAGE FOOD SECURITY MANILA CITY METRO NEWS
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.