The seeds have been sown, and they are a-germinating. A good kind of tension is building up to the presidential inauguration. Already, we see the Philippine National Police patrolling our roads, protecting the citizenry from drug syndicates, and the people ganging up on rapists. Of course, mainstream media plays a germane role in keeping this momentum of shared vision, and shared progress. Another cause for excitement is a new chapter in the Department of Agriculture, wherein incoming secretary Emmanuel Pinol is in the works with Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Eyal Ben Ari, regarding training and employing street dwellers as greenhouse personnel (Ison, L., “Pinol Roadmap,” Philippine News Agency, 20 June 2016).
In this piece, we shall try to take the game-change play a step further. Should the ideas have a drastic effect on the welfare of professional farmers, you are free to tweak the methods proposed, and assumptions made.
“May lupa ka ba? Oo, sa paso!”
Let’s put it this way – if everybody, the rich and the poor, plants veggies and other cash crops at home, the demand for these would drastically decrease, and the prices for them would go down, and remain stable even in the typhoon season. We don’t need to have a backyard, a frontyard, sprawling or otherwise. All we need is a cubic meter. It could be indoor or outdoor. But that would largely affect what type of crops you can cultivate, and the propagation process (planting from seeds, grafts, bulbs, and others).
“Kailangan ko ng space, hindi ako makahinga”
Normally, we perceive Informal settlers cramped in a tight section of the cities, wading in grime, and their lungs drowning in smog. Urban gardening’s additional benefit is in producing more oxygen, thereby cooling the inundated shanty towns, presenting a more-relaxed atmosphere because of the greens and their flowers. Remember that the color most stress-reducing is the color of plants – the color green.
“I don’t worry, I’m too busy making money”
Having more than what we need of garlic, onion, ginger, and pumpkins will tell all of us that we do not need to steal, because we will never ever be hungry again. Jesus tells us that we do not need to be afraid, because He will help us. In my opinion, this is what He meant.
If the Filipino is not afraid of going hungry, the crime rates will definitely decrease. Since he has more than what he needs, he will have extra money for leisure, and this will bring him peace.
To the well-to-do and the subdivision homeowners, you too have a big part in this. The Holy Bible states, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops (II Timothy 2:6).” And so, let us put an end to the insecurity that has plagued the Filipino. If we have no need for our produce, the homeowners associations could pool them, sell them and the proceeds could be distributed to a legitimate non-government association of choice, or could be given away to our not-so-fortunate neighbors, as is.
By this small deed, we shall become peacemakers. A benefit we all can never have enough of.
“Aktibista ako, rebolusyon ang solusyon”
Participate in the urban gardening revolution, the truly GREEN revolution. It encompasses and addresses everything: poverty, progress, economy, global warming, peace and order, social justice – everything. If we are predisposed to activism, why do we not conserve some of that energy, and instead focus on planting calamansi (Philippine lime) in large pots?
“Ang basurang itinapon mo…(magastos at mabaho)”
The putridity, and the expense to the local government as it toils about, collecting biodegradable waste only to dump it in landfills, is nonsensical.
Garden soil we can get from composting. The safest, sanest, and most fragrant way to go about it is to use only vegetable or green waste, cover with soil, and mix that with wood shavings or grass, whichever is available. In a large container, you place your vegetable peels, add the wood shavings, then add a layer of soil. Cover firmly, unless you want the ‘mababait’ rodents and roaches to have a fiesta, buntings and all. After filling the large container, leave it covered for six months, and you would have ultra nutritious garden soil for your gardening needs. You can even sell it.
Another use for vegetable cuttings is for swine feed. Free-roaming pigs dieting solely on fruits and veggies will always have their fill, compared to feeds. We’ll save this discussion for another time.
“Expert help wanted”
The current disconnect is with gardening, especially in the subdivisions, focusing on ornamental plants. The mentality that farming is done only by poor people has been discussed in a past article. The thing is, vegetables and fruits have flowers too. And just as colorful. If we could harness the beauty of the edible squash flowers, and create wire sculptures for the tomatoes and sitaw (string bean) vines and shrubs to crawl upon, as expert landscape artists then we would be addressing both aesthetics and food security for all social classes.
Architects, with a go signal from the real estate magnates, could consult with landscape artists and agriculture scientists to see how the inside and outside of modern zen houses could be constructed to accommodate urban gardening initiatives. The government, as a form of encouragement, could put in place incentive programs for subdivision homeowners who choose to buy or renovate their homes with urban gardening provisions.
“What the world needs now…”
Nakikiusap po ang mga anak natin. Kailangan po nating gawin ito, bagamat sa unang tingin ay may kahirapang isagawa. Pagsumikapan natin, para sa kanila, para sa mga kaibigan nila, para sa bukas na puno ng kaligayahan at isang pamayanang nagmamahal sa lahat, na maipagmamalaki nila, maging sa magiging mga anak at apo nila.
At a friend’s house, there was this calamansi shrub. It was in the backyard, left to its own devices, with the branches darting every which way, looking for the best spot for sunlight. It was never watered, pruned, nor sprayed with insect repellents. Yet, the produce from it was so bountiful, that you could sell it at a talipapa if you wanted to. That is just ONE calamansi plant. Think if we all would plant several calamansi plants in pots at home. We would have done a tangible good that might even outlast us. It’s so simple, and yet leaves one in awe at the realization that food security is just a matter of getting a pot, and planting a calamansi plant. What could be easier than that? “Enough to last, ‘till the end of time.”
Kababayan, can we not sing in chorus this time around?
“No not just for some, but for everyone…”
Photo credits: www.hostelgarden.net