Iloilo LGU pioneers ‘Gulayan sa Barangay’ project

The municipality of Pavia in the Province of Iloilo is one lucky town to be chosen as Western Visayas’ first recipient of the “Gulayan sa Barangay” project.

This project is under the Plant, Plant, Plant Program or “Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Laban sa COVID-19” program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

On June 11, a “Gulayan sa Barangay” project was launched in Pavia covering four barangays: Cabugao Norte, Mali-ao, Pal-agon, and Purok 2.

DA Region 6’s High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) focal person Jonifer Frades said these barangays will serve as showcase areas or models of communal garden.

The project materialized through the efforts of Pavia Sangguniang Bayan (SB) member Daniel S. Fajardo II, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, and with the support of DA Regional Office 6 and the municipal agriculture office.

Fajardo said the “Gulayan sa Barangay” project is timely. Vegetables are very important to keep the body healthy amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, he explained.

Fajardo hopes that the project will succeed so it can be replicated to the rest of the barangays in Pavia.

During the project’s launch, DA-6 turned over assorted vegetable seeds such as ampalaya, eggplant, cucumber, okra, pechay, pole sitao, squash, and tomato, as well as garden tools such as hoes, plastic drums, rakes, spades, and sprinklers.

Fajardo also turned over 16 water containers for the communal garden project.

Municipal Agriculturist Homer Hubag, meanwhile, said his office will provide technical assistance and help in the management of communal gardens to ensure the project’s sustainability.

Each communal garden is to be managed by around 15 households through the bayanihan system.

Bonifacio dela Torre of DA-6’s HVCDP said Pavia is now slowly being converted into an industrial area, thus sustainability of the “Gulayan sa Barangay” project is a challenge. He is hoping that vegetable farming in Pavia will be sustained.

On the other hand, Frades is eyeing to make the communal gardens in Pavia a contest wherein all 18 barangays of the municipality will participate. He is also planning a “Vegetables Harvest Festival” in the town. (Content and photo reposted from Panay News)

In photo: Barangay Captain Emelina Serra and Kagawad Rovi Halanes of Barangay Mali-ao, Pavia, Iloilo receive vegetable seeds and garden tools for their communal garden during the launching of the “Gulayan sa Barangay” project in Pavia on June 11. Photo also shows Sangguniang Bayan Member Daniel S. Fajardo II (far right), Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6’s High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) focal person Jonifer Frades (second from left), Bonifacio dela Torre (far left) of DA-6’s HVCDP, and Pavia municipal agriculturist Homer Hubag (second from right).