The Department of Agriculture’s National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program (DA-NUPAP) in Bicol distributed a total of ₱2.5 million worth of agricultural interventions to beneficiaries in Camarines Sur. These beneficiaries included Barangay, City, and Municipal Local Government Units; Libmanan and Iriga City District Jails; the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Office; Pili Rural Health Unit; the Rural Improvement Club; schools; and various Farmer Cooperatives and Associations.

Among the interventions distributed were community, school, and Gulayan sa Lungsod garden packages; fertilizers; hydroponic seeds; and hydroponic solutions for hydroponic production.

Other provinces in the region have already received the same packages: Albay with ₱3.4 million worth of interventions given on June 19; Sorsogon with ₱1.4 million on May 29; Camarines Norte with ₱1 million on May 16; Masbate with ₱896,000 on June 26; and Catanduanes with over ₱672,000 on May 23.

Now recognized as one of the Department of Agriculture’s banner programs, NUPAP aims to ensure the food security for the urban and peri-urban population; reducing food miles into food steps to lower fuel consumption and cost of logistics; creating livelihood opportunities; and promoting a healthy lifestyle by making available nutritious food for Filipinos specifically in urban and peri-urban areas. (By: Zandra Abogado and Emie Jane Malonzo)