Pandemic has engulfed the whole world and affected over two hundred countries in just four months. The fact that the disease spreads very rapidly and has no known cure has forced governments including the Philippines to enforce strict lockdown policies. The situation in Zambales is similar to other provinces in Luzon in the Philippines. The astringent lockdown of villages or barangays and municipalities are implemented to prevent the spread of the disease and keep the people safe and healthy.
The President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU) Extension Services department is pressed on responding to the needs of the people in the margins living in its partner communities in times where their sufferings are compounded by the crisis situation. Under the framework of community development using #CommUNITY4D hashtag which capitalizes on Filipinos’ community culture, to bring technology from the university to the communities to address current problems of the poor foremost of these is poverty and low productivity, this project pursues “Grow Your Own Food Movement”.
Based on logical assessment of the effect of the lockdown and other restrictive rules of the government during this time of the pandemic, the most urgent issues of our partner communities are the following, among others:
a) Livelihood. Loss of livelihood among blue collared workers and other related sectors, resulting to economic shortages among the affected households raises poverty level among many households; Farmers and fisherfolks’ lack of access to channels of distribution for their produce also have similar effect;
b) Nutrition and Health. Families’ limited access to sources of food and other essentials; Lack of official information on health and medical issues among households, especially among those who belong to the poor income brackets.
c) Medical Assistance. Need for readily available medicines and medical assistance referrals among the poor may be rising.
d) Mental Health. Many people suffer tremendous stress from the news updates and the actual restrictions on their activities and movement. Being suddenly forced to be confined in their own homes and lead an entirely different lifestyle during the lockdown, professionals mindful of their work timetables, also suffer anxiety. People from various age groups undergo mostly undetected stress that remain unaddressed. Dar et al (2020) showed that psychological distress, physical sickness, and others mental health issues and other potential negative impact are evident during times of crisis. The call for psychological support services to address the mental health issues is a must in this pandemic.
e) Frontliner Support. The frontliners in the province composed of the medical personnel, police and military personnel assigned at the checkpoints, LGU personnel and workers need support form all sectors as by mandate, they bear the pressure of delivering direct services to the people.
f) Environmental Conservation. In these days of the pandemic garbage problem worsens as the government services become limited. Coastal pollution and burning of wastes have become a greater challenge. This component pushes ecological waste management systems including recycling, composting, ecobricking, and other related activities.
The BIGFAITH Program addresses the current pandemic issues in the PRMSU extension communities with the following activities to encourage families from rural and urban communities in the province and elsewhere through direct and online services allowed by government rules to grow vegetables and other vegetation within their home yard as source of food and nutrition, additional income. These activities will also keep families busy while under the enhanced community quarantine as they use their time to learn and practice agriculture, solid waste management,, good nutrition and fitness, among others. It is an aim to enhance resilience as BIGFAITH communities battle in unity against the threat of infectious diseases.
PROJECT COMPONENTS:
The following are the proposed components of this project:
I. BIGFAITH Technology Promotion
The PRMSU Extension Services in partnership with the Provincial Agriculture Office-Zambales will distribute IEC (information education campaign) materials on home gardening usingr the BIG FAITH (Bio-Intensive Gardening Food Available In The Home) system. These eight pages booklet promotes a holistic home gardening system in a combination of food production, health and nutrition, waste management, lawn beautification and values formation through the active participation of family members. The booklet had also notes on growing different type of vegetables; which will serve as a planting guide for the packed vegetable seeds.
The project staff will develop an IEC material intended for home gardening using the bio-intensive gardening food available in the home system which involves container gardening, intercropping of different vegetables, composting and other related activities. Included also are planting guide of different crops such as legumes, cucurbits, solanaceous and leafy vegetables.
The printed IEC materials are distributed to end users in partnership of the Provincial Agriculture Office and the different Municipal Local Government Units in Zambales during their mass distribution of packed vegetables seeds in the different barangay in the province.
II. Home Gardening Assistance Social Media Page and Hotline
This project requires an interactive mechanism supported by internet and social media to assist families in putting up and maintaining their home gardens. This shall ensure the mainstreaming of the home gardening practice as part of people’s lifestyle.
A support team will also be organized which will cater the inquiries, comments, suggestions and guides on home gardening. A hotline or social media page will be available to caters this needs and moreover additional information such as video, infographics and others will be posted in support of the project. The target is to entertain at least 100 queries, comments, consultations and suggestions regarding BIG FAITH. It is expected that the IEC material and social media page will serve as source of relevant and timely information on home gardening and will guide the families on producing their own food and be healthy and active during the duration and after the implementation of enhanced community quarantine.
III. BIGFAITH Support to COVID19 Frontliners
The aim of the activity is to engage a team of BIGFAITH volunteers to provide beverages and snacks prepared from organically grown products from homegardens to COVID19 frontliners as they deliver services during the lockdowns and ECQ. Linking the gardens to the real need of the frontliners is one way of promoting BIGFAITH movement.
IV. “SELL FOR A CAUSE” Enhanced Marketing Channel Linkages
This activity is designed to address farmers’ and fisherfolks’ need for channels of distribution of their produce. In this activity, first, the farmers and fisherfolks will be provided with information on COVID19, how to protect themselves and others from the spread and exposure; they will be oriented with safe handling and distribution of food products; and they will be linked to consumers of their products.
V. BIGFAITH CARED Nutrition and Fitness
The objective of this project is to reinforce the acceptance of the benefits of homegardening while promoting physical wellbeing.
This activity includes building and popularization of information of the nutritive contents as well as the economics of the consumption and use of organically grown products. Fitness is also an essential component in the promotion of optimum health to project partners.
VI. BIGFAITH “Earth Care”
This component pushes ecological waste management systems including recycling, composting, ecobricking, and other related activities.
We hope for people’s support and positivity for the success of this University program during the time of the pandemic and beyond.
VII. BIGFAITH Junior
This project is conceived to sustain the BIGFAITH culture by engaging the kids through fun activities whereby they will acquire knowledge, skills and positive attitudes towards agriculture within their capacity. Teaching children and young people about agriculture, proper nutrition and fitness and care for the environment is the only sure way to sustain the cultural mainstreaming of agriculture in a sustainable way. BIGFAITH Kid’s hands on homegarden activities and social media endorsements of their respective families’ homegardens and their products will be empowering for both the kids and their families and encouraging for the communities at large.(Eden T. Beltran, Ph.D., April 2020)
