Urban gardening pushed in Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The requirement for greener spaces and vertical gardens may be made part of the new normal in Cebu City if an ordinance for the adoption of urban food gardens here is approved by the City Council.

The measure proposed by Councilor Alvin Dizon will require barangays to allocate a portion of their jurisdiction for the establishment of food gardens.

“Food is fundamental and building food communities through urban food gardening in our barangays can help to address long-term resilience and food security especially preparing community-based food system in the face of multiplying disasters to come such as pandemics, fires, floods, and other natural and human-made calamities,” said Dizon.

Vertical Gardens

In the proposed ordinance, the barangays may choose various forms of gardens.  For example, they could opt for vertical gardening in areas with no sufficient vacant lots.

Vertical gardens may be placed on rooftops, windows, and walls.  All that is needed is to prepare small containers or pots for hydroponics and air plants.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil and using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent as a substitute.

Dizon’s proposal which he presented to the City Council during their June 10 session was already referred to the committee on laws and ordinances for study.

The Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) ally expressed confidence that his draft ordinance will get the support of other council members because growing food, especially in the urban areas is expected to help caution the growing demand for food and the economic difficulties that result from a pandemic.

Green Spaces

Dizon’s draft ordinance mandates the City Agriculture office to spearhead the implementation of urban gardening and the identification of green spaces in the barangays.

The Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), on the other hand, will be tasked to oversee the development of this “adopted lots.”

But prior to its implementation, Dizon said there was a need to conduct an inventory of city and private-owned lots that can be used for urban gardening.

While the draft ordinance does not carry any penal provision, it discourages especially the subdivision owners from prohibiting the practice of urban gardening within their premise “so long as the activity does not affect the residential character of the neighborhood, and without prejudice to reasonable standards of neatness and appearance imposed by the homeowners association and the authorities.”  / dcb