QUEZON CITY, April 2 (PIA) - The Department of Agriculture (DA) encourages residents and building owners to transform their rooftops and verandas into vegetable gardens as part of its continuing efforts to promote urban agriculture amid the pandemic.
“Rooftop covered with vegetable gardens is now a common sight in many cities around the world. Private companies are starting to invest in green roofs, due to its wide-range benefits both for food security and environment concern,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
Urban agriculture exists in many forms. It is simply the techniques and approaches of growing various plant types such vegetables, herbs, spices, rootcrops, fruits in the city, densely or highly populated towns, apartments, homes, and other areas with little or limited land space.
The following are urban agriculture production strategies:
1. Edible landscaping is simply the art (aesthetic way) and science of crop production that has similarities in vegetable gardening, backyard gardening, or orchard growing but with an added design component and usually situated in a strategic location.
2. Container gardening is a micro model farming where fruits and vegetables are produced in special containers.
3. Vertical gardening is a special kind of urban gardening suitable for small spaces, particularly for decorating the walls and roofs in various styles.
4. Squarefoot gardening is a simple method of creating small, orderly, and highly productive kitchen gardens.
5. Hydroponics is a method of growing food using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil (soilless based).
6. Aquaponics and Aerophinics incorporate fish farming with hydroponic vegetable and herbs production to create symbiotic relationships between the plants and the fish. Nutrient-rich waste from fish tanks is used to “fertigate” hydroponics production beds; and hydroponic bed cleans water for fish habitat. In aeroponics, the plants grow through a semi-closed or closed area, the plants in hydroponics are cultured into an enclosed area (indoor). In aquaponics, the plants are grown in a settling tank where fishes are bred.
For more information on urban gardening, visit: https://ati.da.gov.ph/ ati-car/sites/default/files/ URBAN_GARDENING_WITH_UPLAND_ VEG_PROD.pdf (MCG/PIA-IDPD/DA)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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