Sawang Calero: Pilot area for hydroponics gardening

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Science and Technology in Central Visayas have chosen Barangay Sawang Calero as pilot area of the capability training on hydroponics gardening for Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

DSWD-7 director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said that Sawang Calero was chosen because it is situated in one of the highly urbanized depressed areas of the city.

“The beneficiaries themselves expressed their need to learn alternative vegetable gardening as their response to the threat of malnutrition,” Macapobre said.

Just recently, the DSWD-7 and the DOST-7 signed a memorandum of agreement for the capability training of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries on hydroponics gardening.

Under the agreement, the DOST would provide necessary technical assistance geared towards sustainable livelihood to DSWD clients starting with the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries learning hydroponics gardening.

Also known as urban gardening, hydroponics requires very minimal space, minimal or no use of soil and productive reuse of urban wastes such as styropores and plastic containers. 

Presently the cost and distribution of food produce are based on rural production and imports causing an increase in prices, with hydroponics technology urban poor can now have access to nutritional produce easier, cheaper and faster since this would decrease food shortage, enhance urban environmental management neutralizes the lack of purchasing power of the poor.

DSWD-7 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program coordinator Aileen Lariba said the rapid urbanization goes with rapid increase in urban poverty.

Lariba added that most cities in its rapid intention for growth soon found out that their own constituents are unable to have stable employment opportunities for the poor.

Lariba also said that as DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilya finds ways on how to help the poor cross poverty threshold, the MOA with DOST is part of the convergence strategy among government agencies to equip the beneficiaries with capability trainings on anti-poverty programs.

“With hydroponics technology urban poor can now have access to nutritional produce easier, cheaper and faster since this would decrease food shortage, enhance urban environmental management, neutralizes the lack of purchasing power of the poor,” Lariba said.

DOST-7 assistant director for technical operations Ed Paradela said the program is also in response to the millennium development goal of poverty alleviation which is also DSWD’s thrust.

Paradela said, the DOST will provide the necessary assistance towards sustainable livelihood to DSWD clients starting with the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries learning hydroponics gardening.

Studies show that growing your own food saves household expenditures on food since most poor generally spend 50-70% of their income on food.

“Growing vegetables therefore saves money as well as selling it brings in cash. Urban agriculture is indeed an important strategy for poverty alleviation and social integration,” Paradela said. – (FREEMAN)