ILOILO City – With prolonged dry conditions threatening vegetable production and food supplies, the Iloilo City Government is stepping up efforts to turn household backyards and idle urban spaces into food gardens as part of its preparations for a possible Super El Niño from October 2026 to March 2027.
Mayor Raisa Treñas said the city is expanding its urban farming program beyond the 90 existing edible landscapes, or “Ediscapes,” to help households produce their own vegetables and reduce their vulnerability to possible food shortages.
The initiative comes amid concerns that strong to very strong El Niño conditions could disrupt agricultural production, potentially affecting the availability of vegetables and other essential food commodities.
“We have identified 90 edible landscapes, or Ediscapes, across Iloilo City. We are identifying more households that can plant vegetables so they can grow their own food and have a source of vegetables in case production decreases,” the mayor said.
The City Agriculture Office has begun identifying additional households with available planting spaces that could be developed into backyard vegetable gardens.
Under the initiative, qualified and interested residents will receive planting materials and technical guidance to establish small-scale food gardens, allowing families to supplement their daily food requirements with homegrown produce.
Treñas stressed that strengthening local food production is becoming increasingly important as the city prepares for the potential effects of prolonged dry weather on agricultural productivity.
“We are prioritizing them now. Last week, a group from the Garden Club donated seedlings, and that is a big help because we want to ensure food security during this time of strong to very strong El Niño,” Treñas said.
The city government is also mobilizing support from private organizations to expand the availability of seeds and seedlings for households participating in the urban agriculture program.
Among those supporting the initiative is the Iloilo Garden Club, which has donated planting materials that will be included in start-up kits for residents interested in establishing their own vegetable gardens.
The donations are expected to help the city expand its edible landscape program across its districts, bringing food production closer to residential communities.
Beyond encouraging household gardening, the city government is also seeking to strengthen assistance to existing urban farmers whose productivity could be affected by unfavorable weather conditions.
“We want to make sure that our farmers are not left behind. We need to provide them with the necessary assistance and encourage residents to participate in growing their own food, especially if vegetable production decreases,” Treñas said.
The mayor emphasized that support for local food producers must be sustained to help cushion the potential impact of climate-related disruptions on the city’s food supply.
The planned expansion of urban agriculture reflects the city government’s strategy of building food security at the household and community levels rather than relying solely on conventional agricultural production.
By encouraging residents to cultivate vegetables in available spaces, the city hopes to create additional sources of fresh produce that could help families cope with possible supply disruptions.
The initiative also seeks to promote greater household self-sufficiency while strengthening the capacity of communities to withstand climate-related threats to food availability.
With the anticipated Super El Niño period extending until March 2027, the city government is banking on wider public participation in urban farming to help safeguard food supplies and lessen the impact of possible agricultural production losses./PN
