(Image courtesy of Bago City Information Office)
BACOLOD CITY – The holistic anti-hunger initiative of Bago City in Negros Occidental has resulted in 215.7 percent rice sufficiency level, ensuring greater food security and economic stability for its people.
Through the Food Staples Sufficiency Program, the city just south of Bacolod aims to achieve sufficient food production through natural farming practices, earning the distinction of being a national winner of the 1st Walang Gutom Awards of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“Given our sufficient rice production and we have reached 215.7 percent rice sufficiency level, based on last year’s data, Bago City can also feed other local government units,” city agriculturist-designate Marvin John Blance said in an interview on Tuesday.
Producing 30 percent of the rice output of the province, Bago City is known as the “Rice Granary of Negros Occidental” and has been recognized in the Department of Agriculture Rice Achievers Award for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020.
Blance said the City Agriculture Office partners with the City Social Welfare and Development Office, City Health Office, and City Nutrition Office to implement the Food Staples Sufficiency Program.
Data from the City Health Office showed that some 18,440 children aged between 0 and 5 years have shown improved nutritional status over the years due to the anti-hunger program.
The Planting for Productivity Project, in collaboration with Ayala Foundation Inc., participated by 80 women beneficiaries from three barangays, has produced 4,983.85 kilograms of vegetables from the communal garden.
To enhance public health and well-being, the city government ensures safe water access for 97.55 percent and basic sanitation facilities for 89.63 percent of households.
Natural and organic farming preserved the environment and fostered sustainable agricultural practices for future generations of Bago City, with 520 farmers now cultivating 783.57 hectares of organic farms organized into an association and became agripreneurs.
Also, the city advocates, practices, and implements climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in farming.
In an earlier statement, Mayor Nicholas Yulo said the award is a validation of the sustained efforts of the city government in implementing programs and projects bannering the welfare and well-being of every Bagonhon.
“While we took up the cudgels for the President’s call to end hunger, it’s a challenge for us to sustain and improve further on our programs. Bago City's Food Staples Sufficiency Program isn't just about growing crops, it's also about nurturing communities, fostering resilience, and building a sustainable future,” he added. (PNA)
