The local government of Muntinlupa, Philippines, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture-Extension Services Office (DA-ESO), has launched the city demonstration or demo farm, the first local government unit (LGU)-operated intensive hydroponics system in Metro Manila.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the inauguration of the Muntinlupa City demo farm, located at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Barangay Tunasan November 11. The local demo farm consisted of various agricultural systems, which could be visited by the public for viewing. City residents and visitors may also conduct their research on the farm for agricultural technologies and harvesting methods.
Other officials that joined the ceremony were City Administrator Allan Cachuela, Vice Mayor Temy Simundac, DA-ESO chief Malou Lobo, Rotaract Club executive Teresita Filoteo, SDRC official Lize Conde, and Adriano Mini Farm owner Nars Adriano, along with officials from Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish.
The city demo farm has an edible landscaping area with organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and medicinal plants. The construction of the landscaping facility was conducted in partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños edible landscaping team.
The setup can be replicated by small communities in their open spaces, while the NFT hydroponics is a bigger system project capable of producing 2,000 lettuce heads per harvest.
Muntinlupa City aims to revive urban agriculture and urban farming to ensure food security amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the local government also partnered with DoST and UP Institute of Plant Breeding for the training of communities on hydroponics farming technology.
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