Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) families in Samboan, Cebu, continue to keep their community garden thriving as an alternative food source.

Lynn Gerzon, 4Ps beneficiary, having a vegetable garden is beneficial in providing food for her children.

“Akong mga anak kay mangita gyud og sabaw nga utan mao nga kung naa kay gitanom nga mga gulay sama sa okra ug talong maka dali-dali gyud ka og luto. Bati man sad kung puro ra buwad imong sud-an mao nga nakatabang kining pagtanom og gulay sa among pamilya aron aduna kami masustansya nga pagkaon (My children would always ask for vegetable soup, that is why, if you grow vegetables like okra and eggplant, you can immediately cook it. I think it is not healthy to always have dried fish as viand. Growing vegetables helped our family to have healthy meals),” said Lynn.

Lynn added that having a family vegetable garden has saved her from buying at the local market. She underscored that having readily available food from their backyard helped solo parent like her manages the family’s daily expenses.

“Ang budget nga unta para ipalit og gulay didto sa merkado kay ipalit na nako sa laing importanteng butang kay naa naman mi gulayan likod sa among balay ug naa pud gulayan sa among barangay (The budget I allocated to buy vegetables, I would use instead to buy other important things because we already have a backyard garden and a barangay communal garden),” said Lynn.

Lynn is one of the 35 4Ps partner-beneficiaries in Purok Proper Parian, Barangay Poblacion, Samboan that painstakingly created their communal garden in 2019.

In one of the Family Development Sessions (FDS), the 4Ps beneficiaries agreed to have a communal garden.

“Nagsugod kini nga idea sa usa namo ka pagtapok-tapok nga magtugod kami og garden ug wala gyud mi nagdahom nga mapanindot gyud kini namo (The idea to make a communal garden was conceptualized during one of our meetings. We did not expect it to become a flourishing vegetable garden),” said Erlinda Cabag, 4Ps beneficiary and purok leader.

Erlinda shared that she did not know about gardening because she works as a manicurist in their community. But because of the willingness and cooperation of her group members, she learned the ropes of gardening and led the group in achieving their goal.

The group started designing their garden layout based on the available lot in their barangay. The members also decided to use leaves, food scraps, and animal manure for composting as a valuable fertilizer that can enrich the garden soil and plants.

The group utilized recyclable materials like used plastic bottles and paint cans for planting vegetables like lettuce, tomato, eggplant, pumpkin, bitter gourd, radish, potato, and malunggay.

The members also planted local medicinal plants like mayana, serpentina, lagundi, and kalabo.

Aside from plants, they also created a small fish pond and a chicken coop in their communal garden.

To appreciate the scenic view of the garden and nearby area, the 4Ps beneficiaries also built a treehouse.

Erlinda said that the communal garden further strengthened their camaraderie within the community.

She added they get to know each other better as they continue to bond together while cultivating their communal garden.

Source of food during the pandemic

When the entire country was placed under the state of public health emergency due to Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020, like the rest of the citizens, the group abided by the health and safety protocols implemented by the government.

“Naapektuhan sad among panginabuhian ato labi na nga nag-declare og community quarantine ug dili na gyud ka basta-basta makagawas sa balay. Sama nako nga manikurista dili naman ko ka home service (The declaration of community quarantine affected our livelihood. One cannot easily go out of the house. As a manicurist, I could not anymore do home service),” said Erlinda.

Although they received food assistance from the local government unit and augmentation support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Erlinda said they could not just rely on the government aid at all times.

The beneficiary backyard and communal garden-grown vegetables ensure enough food for the family.

She added that they also share the fresh produce of their communal garden with other non-4Ps beneficiaries or even from other barangays.

Vegetable competition

The group joined the SUGBUsog program of the Cebu Provincial Government that aimed to encourage non-farmers to grow vegetables in their backyard and generate enough food supply during the pandemic.

All their efforts paid off. They have received numerous awards from the barangay and municipality and declared second place for the purok containerized category at the provincial level. The group accumulated Php 72,000.00 and a piglet as prizes from joining the vegetable competition.

Through the encouragement of their Pantawid Municipal Link and endorsement from the local government unit, the group, also joined the first DSWD 4Ps Gulayan sa Barangay in 2021. The 4Ps Gulayan sa Barangay aimed to encourage 4Ps partner- beneficiaries to cultivate their own garden, promote health and nutrition, and food security in the community.

For Cebu province, the group won first place while Barangay Pajo of Lapu-Lapu City, and Barangay Kawit of Medellin town, ranked second and third place, respectively.

From a simple communal garden, the group ably turned the garden into a thriving garden that benefits their families and the rest of the community amidst the pandemic. ###

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