THE Gardens for Sustainable Kitchen or Gulayan sa Kabalayan is a movement by the Center for Human Development of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) Cagayan de Oro campus that addresses food security and sustainability through gardening in backyards and community spaces in the city.
This is a movement that is very important especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. USTP through its Claveria campus has recently approved Php277, 090 as thebudget for the activities of GSK this year. The Urban Community Microfarms is a recent project of GSK that is being implemented specifically in barangays Pagatpat and Tablon, Cagayan de Oro. Prior to its implementation, GSKconducted an Agriskwela webinarseries from June 1 to 4, 2021 which included lectures on topics such as soil preparation, fertilization, seed growing, among others.
The Department of Science and Technology Region X gave assurance to supply water and to set up hydroponics in the gardens of these adopted barangays. At the onset of COVID-19, GSK has actively distributed more than 2,500 seed packs to residents in Cagayan de Oro and even to members of the Talaandig indigenous community in Talakag, Bukidnon.
Looking back, GSK started with a group of volunteers who shared a common vision of enabling households to have a steady suPply of healthy food from their garden. These volunteers who founded GSK are Angelie Azcuna Collera, who is now the head of CHD in USTP; Reynaldo Collera of Lumbia National High School; Owen Jaen of JCI Kagayhaan Gold; lan Guttierez of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office X; EnP Jun Mhark Lloren of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) in CDO. The co-leaders of GSK include Agropolis Science and Technology Park, College of Agriculturè of USTP Claveria Campus, and Departments in USTP CDO Campus, namely Technology Communication Management, Technician Teacher Education, and Teaching Languages.
GSK’s partners, on the other hand, are CDO City Agriculture Productivity Operations Office, CLENRO, DA Agriculture Training Institute Region X, Green Minds Inc., Junior Chamber International Kagayhaan Gold, and Kids Who Farm. Individual benefactors include Ms. Philline Marie Donggay and Yul Batiller. You can check GSK through its official Facebook Page GSK CDO. PR
