Philippines: Politician calls for passage of urban agriculture act

A lawmaker in the Philippines House of Representatives is pushing for the swift passage of the proposed Integrated Urban Agriculture Act toward a more food-secure country. AGRI Party-list Rep. Orestes Salon made the call on Tuesday after the House Committee on Food Security consolidated four measures seeking to promote the use of urban agriculture in all urban areas in the Philippines.

Salon, principal author of one of the bills, stressed the need for Congress to lay down a policy platform to achieve food security considering that the Philippines ranked 79th in the 2017 Global Food Security Index released by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“The urgency of addressing our nation’s food security should guide us in our actions,” Salon said.

Salon said the proposed law could help improve the country’s food supply and could positively impact employment and income generation for urban settlers.

Under the bill, an Office of Urban Agriculture shall be established by the Department of Agriculture.

Click here to read more at the Philippine Canadian Inquirer.