Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban met with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Felicito A. Valmocina and Assistant Secretary for Community Participation Elizabeth N. Lopez De Leon on January 20, 2023 at the DA Office in Quezon City.

The meeting served as a venue for DILG to seek the support of the DA in scaling up the implementation of the Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) sa Barangay Project.

DILG’s HAPAG aims to increase barangays’ capacity for sustainable agriculture activities by strengthening the barangay community garden, which would encourage homes and communities to grow fresh fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices.

Sr. Usec. Panganiban committed support and directed the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to collaborate and integrate the Department’s efforts and designate focal persons that will co-lead  the program with the DILG.

Last year, the DA launched the Green Revolution 2.0: Plants for Bountiful Barangays Movement (Luntiang Ani ng Mamamayan) to ultimately improve the nutrition of Filipinos by increasing production and supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in the urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. It aims to turn communities into patches of green edible landscapes through the establishment of vegetable gardens. ### (text by Kristel Merle/photos by Alan Jay Jacalan, DA-AFID)