In response to the growing issue of food security and global change, ecological agriculturists push for the awareness and education on the multi-functioning garden as a solution to the reversion of the urban industry into a greener and healthier country.
Rural, as well as urban, should be converted to multifunction gardening vis-à-vis farming to sustain food and healthy environment based on some Filipino green experts.
In the Philippines, implemented on a national scale in both rural and peri-urban landscapes, small-scale bio farming offers valuable economic opportunities.
Dr. Teodorico Mendoza, Faculty of Crop Science from the UPLB College of Agriculture shared his fruitful experience. “Working on the farm between 6 to 7:30 in the morning, eating fresh salad/fruits in the garden while removing some weeds and picking up veggies for the day is a healthy routine activity,” he said.
“Much of the nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants are at their highest amount if veggies are picked early and eaten raw. Early morning sunshine is rich in vitamin D, the precursor of calcium absorption in bones, and adds to the life force” he added.
According to the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), Multi-functionality refers to the several commodities like food, fibers, fuels, medicinal products and ornamentals, and non-commodity outputs like environmental services, landscape amenities, and cultural heritages that agriculture should provide.
Green living revolution through BIO
The three main E’s of a bio green industry farm includes economic, environment, and enterprise that affects the whole totality of green performance towards a multi-functioning revolution.
These functions decrease the total cost production, localize food transportation, promote therapeutic farming and promote safety and a nutritious food source.
Biodiverse Integrated Organic farming or BIO farming grows bio diverse crops in a specific land area size that should include root crops, vegetables, herbs, and spices in order to come up with convergence type of green organic farming.
Dr. Mendoza explained that the ideal land area per person in the Philippines should be 0.4 ha (CIA 2008 as cited by Rodolfo, 2009) to 0.43 ha (by Mendoza, 2009). This means that the average number of Filipinos should be about 30 million per 11 Mha agricultural lands.
The longing issue on climate change creates food and water crisis primarily loose and destroy crops and degrades of natural resources.
John Jeavons, Executive Director of the globally active non-profit Ecology Action, located in Willits, CA, and is a leader in the field of Bio intensive agriculture had been proposing Bio intensive Sustainable Mini-Farming as an alternative vision of effective, small- scale farming.
Individual families take responsibility for what they grow and eat, must be productive, efficient, robust, flexible, resource-conserving, environmentally sound and strongly sustainable while encouraging and maintaining a higher degree of social and resource equity and stability for the people of this planet, Jeavons claimed.
He also said that better to grow small fruits in grow tents. This frees up space. And for those who don’t have enough land, a grow tent is an excellent opportunity.
In 2008 report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), they stressed out industrial, plantation approach and monoculture farming increased productivity which led to social inequity, marginalization of small scale farmers, environmental degradation and health issues.
Radical changes are needed in agricultural technologies, systems, practices, investments in research, and policy focus, according to Food and Agriculture Organization.
Through BIO revolution, perennial plants such as saluyot, malunggay, kangkong, and gabi, annual plants like eggplant, tomatoes, okra, sitaw and singkamas, herbs (pepper, ginger, lemon grass, onion), pharmaceutical (oregano, sambong, and lagundi), fruit and wood trees (mahogany, narra, ipil ipil) are important for diverse green nature.
“Selection of diverse crop species is very important. Mixed planting of annuals and perennial vegetables should be done which is a major soil-rebuilding and fertility-restoring,” Dr. Mendoza said.
Results and implications
Dr. Mendoza said that by tapping crop perennially, whole year-round availability of veggies – in drought or rain – is attainable.
“During peak fruiting, vegetables (eggplant, okra) are in excess of household consumption, I share the excess harvest with friends and relatives to savor the fruits of my farm,” he said.
BIO revolution also helps to recover everyone from illnesses like allergic rhinitis, high triglycerides, blood sugar, and uric acid, among others.
This therapeutic exercise helps to save about PhP5,000/month costs of maintenance tablets as Dr. Mendoza explained.
“It may arrest illegal outmigration leading to an urban population congestion and consequent problems of malnutrition, hunger, waste disposal, water shortage,” Dr. Mendoza added.
He also said that a large area composed of such farms can serve as recreational and agro eco-tourism destinations.
