House panel OKs bill for urban community gardens

A House panel has approved a bill that aims to develop idle government and private lands in urban areas into community gardens for food production, also encouraging agricultural activities in skyscrapers.

House Bill 3412, authored by Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, seeks to promote integrated urban agriculture to address food security issues, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bill highlights that a significant number of families, particularly in Metro Manila, have experienced involuntary hunger, underscoring the need for urgent solutions.

Local government units, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the Cooperative Development Authority, will involve neighborhood associations in community gardening projects.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development will identify and ensure the availability of spaces for conversion into community gardens and vertical farms.

Proposed sites for urban gardening include idle government or private lands, open spaces in urbanizable areas, and even lands within military camps or educational institutions.

The bill specifically encourages vertical farming, which involves growing produce in stacked layers within buildings using advanced agricultural methods.

Incentives will be provided to participants of urban agriculture programs, including those who receive loans from government and private banks, as outlined in existing laws.