Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Batches 173 and 174 recently completed their urban farming and gardening training courses at Las Piñas City and Pasig City, respectively. Each batch had 100 participants.
A harvest festival at the demo farm in Barangay Talon IV, Las Piñas City was attended by guests from the barangay government, SM Southmall representatives, Savemore M. Alvarez, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Macondray Plastics Products Inc.
A participant, Joralyn Gongora, said she is grateful for the training, not only for learning urban farming techniques but also since her grandchild now eats vegetables.
Meanwhile, Batch 174’s harvest festival at Barangay Sta. Lucia in Pasig was attended by guests from the National Housing Authority, SM East Ortigas, Savemore Amang Rodriguez, SM Supermarket East Ortigas, DSWD and Macondray.
Mario Javeniar, a participant, said he intends to share what he learned with his neighbors.
Introduced in 2015, SM Foundation’s Urban Farming and Gardening Training aims to promote food security and provide an extra form of livelihood for the participants in urban areas. They are taught smart farming using limited spaces or backyards and utilizing plastic containers as pots when possible.
“Many thanks to SM Foundation, a lot has changed for me and my family through this program,” said Gongora in Las Piñas. “In fact, my grandchild didn’t eat vegetables before, but thanks to this program he is eating greens now, and my family has been even more supportive of my efforts here.”