DA-10 backs “Kabulakan Beyond Ornamentals,” promoting urban agri innovations and Gulayan initiatives

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10), through the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program, (NUPAP), High Value Crops Development (HVCDP) program, Research Division, and the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), participated in the opening of the “Kabulakan Beyond Ornamentals” garden held on August 20 at the Provincial Capitol Grounds, this city.

Going beyond ornamental plant displays, DA-10 showcased a range of agricultural innovations aimed at promoting food security, climate resilience, and community sustainability in urban and peri-urban areas.

Featured are the Green Thumb Portable Nursery Structure, a mobile nursery for urban growers; the application of ‘Mani-Manihan’ (Arachis pintoi) as a cover crop, livestock protein source, and nitrogen-fixing agent; and Turkey Production – PABO-RITO, an alternative poultry venture.

Other highlights included carbon sequestration and urban climate change mitigation technologies, such as live green walls and fencing, Azolla for nitrogen fixation and carbon sequestration, corn microgreens (fodder), ‘Pansi-pansitan’ as an edible ground cover, hydroponics, and Blue Pea Vine production technologies.

Featuring innovations in mobile urban agriculture, the activity also underscored DA-10’s support for the Gulayan sa Bayan initiative, in partnership with the farmers’ cooperatives, associations (FCAs), the 4-H club, and the Rural Improvement Club of Misamis Oriental.

This initiative further supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen agricultural research and development, enhance extension services, and deepen stakeholder engagement to maximize the agriculture sector’s potential.

Complementing the agri tech exhibits were displays of artisanal woodcraft, seedlings, flowering plants, and fruit-bearing trees, exhibiting sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices. # (MAC)