THE Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program partner-beneficiaries have benefited from their communal and backyard gardening projects in Central Visayas.
The Balilihan Farmers Marketing Cooperative (BFMC) in Bohol has been growing vegetables in a communal garden for almost four years now.
BFMC is composed of five Pantawid beneficiaries and 19 non-Pantawid beneficiaries.
According to Julita Batac, the income from the communal garden helps her meet the school needs of her children. She is a BFMC member and a Pantawid beneficiary.
“Our communal vegetable garden has augmented our income because we harvest twice a week, every Monday and Friday. We also display our produce in our public market every Tuesday because that is the market day of our town,” Batac said in Cebuano.
She encouraged other Pantawid partner-beneficiaries to plant vegetables in their own backyards because it would help them save money.
“They could eat fresh vegetables that can boost their immune system and protect them from any illness,” she said.
To help augment her carpenter-husband Ruel’s income, Teresita Amas from Bindoy, Negros Oriental decided to plant vegetables in her garden.
“I am glad that planting vegetables helps lessen our expenses because I would not necessarily buy in the market anymore. Every lunch and dinner, I make sure that I cook vegetables,” she said.
Her family owns a small rice field. Scarcity of water forced Amas to plant string beans, instead of rice.
Amas said the yield was more than what she expected and she was able to sell some string beans to her neighbors. She was also able to deliver string beans to the market.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to strengthen the implementation of communal and backyard gardening projects among Pantawid Pamilya partner-beneficiaries to empower them and promote good health among poor Filipino families.
Gardening aims to help address the nutrition concerns of the beneficiaries by encouraging families to use indigenous seeds and organic fertilizer to grow vegetables within their own communities or households.
The DSWD has incorporated knowledge and skills enhancement training in the family development sessions of the Pantawid beneficiaries to enable them to become productive members of society and to provide them support for self-sufficiency. (S)