Photo credit to the FAO webpage; World Food Day on 16 October 2020
The National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region III as its commitment to the 2020 World Food Day Celebration on 16 October 2020 will establish its own vegetable garden in the vicinity of its office. The establishment of a vegetable garden is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit III, in line with the agency’s effort to promote the growing of food gardens in every home to mitigate hunger and malnutrition.
The setting-up of its own vegetable garden will serve as a model to national government agencies that hold their offices outside the Regional Government Center, despite the limited space and whose location is in the bustle of urban environment. NNC-Region III’s office is located along Lazatin Boulevard, City of San Fernando, Pampanga along side with the restobars, car accessories’ shops, food establishments and hotels.
It can be recalled that in 2018, the NNC-Region III started the “Gulayan sa Aming Tanggapan” contest in line with the 44th Nutrition Month celebration with the theme “Ugaliing magtanim, Sapat na nutrisyon aanihin”. The gulayan contest which was also held in partnership with the DA-RFU III was participated by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Food Authority (NFA) Pampanga Office, and National Economic and Development Authorirty (NEDA).
The NFA-Pampanga Office emerged as champion as it planted more crops and produced more yields; followed by the CDA-Regional Office III which converted the sandy and stony parcel of land into a vegetable garden; then by the DSWD-Regional Field Office III which was grown with utmost loving care by its utility staff; then by DOST-RO III and NEDA RO III. The board of judges then were Mr. Ricky Manguerra from the DA-RFU III, Ms. Marie Joy L. Simpao-Carbungco from the Philippine Information Agency-Region III and Ms. Angelita M. Pasos NNC-Region III, who persevered to visit the vegetable gardens regularly to monitor the progress.
The gulayan contest created ripples at the local government units, where up to now is being sustained by families in the barangay, more so with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NNC-Region III staff looks forward to creating another milestone of collaborative efforts with the members of the Central Luzon Regional Nutrition Committee in implementing the project, with the DA-RFU III in particular. The vegetable garden will be launched tentatively on 7 December 2020 as one of the highlights of the 2020 Virtual Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony.
Inspired by the 2020 World Food Day theme “Grow. Nourish. Sustain. Together”, we (NNC) will continue to grow the practice of engaging more people to grow their own food, advocate the importance of nourishment (nutrition), and sustain the good practice together to create greater impact.
NNC-Region III will keep you posted. Please mark the date – 7 December 2020.
