Bayambang, Pangasinan— “Pag may itinanim, may aanihin”. Indeed, the municipality is now reaping the fruit of their intensive effort on their established municipal greenhouse as additional source of vitamins and minerals for the pregnant women.

This is one of the projects under home and community food production components of the NNC’s Early Childhood Care and Development for the First 1000 Days of Life (ECCD-F1K) piloted in town with the aim to help increase the number of households with home food production, primarily for home consumption, and for use in complementary feeding.

In the desire of Bayambang Nutrition Committee to ensure the nutritional needs and availability of nutritious food in every household in this trying times, they are now harvesting fruits and vegetables from the green house that include tomatoes, eggplants, papaya, ampalaya , sili, and okra, and being distributed to households with pregnant women. These fruits and vegetables will surely help provide vitamins and minerals to pregnant women not only to ensure the nutritional needs of their soon to be born angels but will also boost their immune system and stay healthy. Boosting of the immune system is much needed to help defend against viruses and bacteria that are dangerous to everyone’s health especially the pregnant women.

The town have established the greenhouse last 2018 to serve as sustainable and accessible source of seeds and seedlings for home gardens for the people of Bayambang and hired two agriculture staff to oversee its sustainability.

The National Nutrition Council-Regional Office I commended the ECCD-F1K areas for accepting the challenge wayback 2016 and now realizing its benefits to their constituents.

Implementation of livelihood programs is ever challenging, but when properly managed, it will surely help the community to have sustainable income or an excellent source of basic needs.

It requires the full commitment and appreciation of the local leaders to really put everything into reality. Proper skills, mobilization of manpower, willingness, and utilization of resources to carry out the program are the secrets to a successful livelihood program.

In this trying times, home garden is really a necessity as most accessible source of fresh fruits and vegetables and can also serve as additional source of income for the family./HJAB