Rizal Park, Manila
March 1, 2023
“As this initiative consolidates the programs of these two agencies on urban agriculture, I am confident that we will further increase our capacity to take part in our goal to address poverty, ensure food security, and protect the environment even at the barangay level,” remarked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his keynote address when he led the launching of the Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) Kadiwa’y Yaman (KAY) Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement (PBBM) at the Open Air Auditorium in Rizal Park, Manila.
The HAPAG KAY PBBM is a program that merges the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) HAPAG sa Barangay Project and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Green Revolution 2.0: Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement (Luntiang Ani ng Mamamayan).
Pursuant to DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2023-001, the HAPAG sa Barangay Project aims to strengthen the capacities of barangays towards sustainable agriculture initiatives by intensifying and fostering related activities such as the barangay community gardening. This is to encourage households and communities to produce fresh, healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables from their backyards and spaces.
“There is the key role of barangays as they are the essential partners in the national government in this endeavor. Given their awareness of the needs of their constituents, they are well-positioned to find and implement solutions that best fit their context, their conditions and their circumstances,” emphasized the President, adding further the government’s commitment to support the LGUs in implementing the Program and providing the people with access to fresh and nutritious food at an affordable cost.
Meanwhile, the Green Revolution 2.0: Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement (Luntiang Ani ng Mamamayan) is a DA initiative through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) seeking to support the supply of fresh produce in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, as well as to encourage the public to engage in urban agriculture as a means of ensuring their own food security and as a potential source of additional revenue.
“Given the interactive programs on food security and community building, we will certainly emerge victorious, bring forth a better, more bountiful, and food-secure future for all Filipinos,” he ended in his message.
The HAPAG KAY PBBM also aims to foster cooperation among communities and conserve the environment through eco-friendly agricultural practices. Other urban agriculture technologies being promoted include aeroponics, aquaponics, container gardening, fruit-bearing tree planting, hydroponics, square foot gardening and vertical gardening.
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