BAGUIO CITY – The chairman of the City Council Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce and Agriculture underscored that urban gardens in the different barangays can serve as added tourist attractions in the city and will contribute in consolidated efforts to sustain the growth of the local tourism industry.
Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr., committee chairman, said that it is only during the term of the present administration that the city’s agriculture sector was given the appropriate attention by concerned agencies and the local government through various interventions that allowed more people to embrace the conversion of the limited spaces in their backyard as urban gardens with the use of recycled materials.
“We are elated that urban gardening continues to flourish in the different barangays in our city to help solve the city’s major problems, especially proper solid waste management and environmental preservation and protection,” Councilor Yangot stressed.
The committee, in close coordination with the agriculture department, conducted various seminars and trainings on the different aspects of urban and organic agriculture to interested residents from the different barangays in the city over the past several months since the local legislative body institutionalized the celebration of farmer’s month every May.
One of the successful urban farms in the city include the strawberry plantation site established by the Bilis Sto. Tomas School Area Organic Farmers Association through the initiative of Samuel Lang-ay and the cutflower plantation area in barangay Happy Hallow through the initiative of Agnes Maslian.
Yangot pointed out that urban gardening will definitely help in reducing the volume of garbage being brought to the barangay pick-up points by the residents because the recyclable containers could be used to propagate agricultural crops for their consumption, apart from the fact that the beautifully designed urban gardens could serve as beautification in their residences and even in the barangays, thereby serving as an added tourist attraction for visitors.
Further, he added the presence of urban gardens in the backyards of people will contribute in efforts to help sustain the scenery of the city because of the presence of plants readily available in the different houses with different designs of the owners of residences.
According to him, the committee and the city agriculture section that was lodged with the City Veterinary Office are willing to extend technical assistance to residents intending to put up urban gardens in their backyards provided they show their dedication and sincerity in pushing through with the endeavour because of its important contributions to food security and beautifying the city’s environment.
He encouraged residents from the city’s barangays to embrace urban gardening as part of their daily activities to contribute to efforts of the local government to beautify the city through the propagation of different plants that will help maintain the city’s good state of environment.
By Dexter A. See