Urban Gardening a Rising Trend During COVID-19 Pandemic

Urban gardening is making noise to the public especially for city-dwellers as it has been seen as a new way to sustain food security amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Aside from personal food consumption, urban gardening has also been a trend in social media mainly because people are usually staying in their homes.

The pandemic seems to make vegetable planting a more pronounced endeavor.

It was known that since the start of the community quarantine, there were plenty of people who sought free seeds from the Department of Agriculture (DA) to start their very own “backyard gardening”.

“We have seen an overwhelming reaction from the public. Many are doing it (urban gardening) now,” Avila said during the online program Mugstoria Ta hosted by OPAV Assistant Secretary Jonji Gonzales.

Meanwhile, according to Justin Paul Neri, an urban farmer, it was just a hobby when he started urban gardening but later he found out that he was able to monetize it. Neri said that hydroponics is a form of gardening that uses no soil at all, but instead a solution of water and nutrients.

Hydroponics can grown plants and vegetables faster than the usual. Plants grown using hydroponic system usually yield more, requires less space and can conserve soil.

Hydroponics has long existed but very few are adapting it yet, according to Avila, saying that most people find it easy to plant using only pots or small containers or directly on the ground in their backyards.

To date, 86 Local Government Units (LGUs) in Central Visayas have had the chance to receive free seeds from DA.

The DA has been pushing for its Plant, Plant, Plant Program to encourage more people to do urban agriculture even within their households. (MLC)