1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
IloIlo city
Region
Asia
Native title of the NBS intervention
JPT (Jerry P. Treñas) Ediscape (edible landscaping) for Iloilo City
Short description of the intervention
The project focuses on creating communal vegetable gardens in different barangays (small territorial and administrative districts forming the most local level of government) in Iloilo City. As part of the Plant Plant Plant Program of the Department of Agriculture, the project was initially implemented in 12 districts in the city, to provide jobs, and nutritious food and increase public awareness about food production and security amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, the project has expanded to 44 more districts, and the city has also issued a regulation to institutionalize urban gardening activities in the city. The communal gardens are expected not only to serve as a source of food but also as a source of livelihood to combat the threat of hunger and poverty. Apart from vegetable gardens, the city also looks into introducing integrated farming in which districts can also plant fruit-bearing trees and raise chickens and tilapia and also provides a series of seminars to empower district residents to produce and sell their food. Currently, around 300 hectares in the city are planted with rice and vegetables [1,2,3]
Address

Iloilo
Philippines

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Total area
3000000.00m²
NBS area
3000000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Residential
Website of the intervention
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128977
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2020
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2020
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
The initiative was launched as a communal vegetable gardening project to augment the food supply in the middle of a public health crisis. Specifically, the project aimed to:
1. Establish urban farms in the 180 districts in the city;
2. Ensure household food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Provide jobs and nutritious food;
4. Increase public awareness about food production and security;
5. Fostering unity for socio-economic recovery after the pandemic and empowering residents through barangay-based cultivation [1,2,3,5,6]
Quantitative targets
All 180 districts should have established communal vegetable gardens [3]
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of villages which had established communal vegetable gardens [3]
Number of households benefitting from the vegetable gardens [2]
Area of vegetable gardens [3]
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Regulation of built environment
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Social cohesion
Environmental education
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Employment/job creation
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable production
Implementation activities
Through the Department of Agriculture Western Visayas (DA-WV), in partnership with the Iloilo City Government, the initiative was initially piloted in three villages in the city. The DA-WV, through its High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP), distributed vegetable seeds, plastic pots, and drums for the establishment of communal gardens for the three recipient villages [2]. The initiative was then expanded to more than 50 districts in several consecutive stages [1, 4]. Finally, the city has institutionalized urban farming, requiring all 180 districts to identify urban farming areas. If there are no suitable areas for farming, the districts can enter into a memorandum of agreement with public schools where the garden will be established. The ordinance will also mandate the provision of PHP1.5 million yearly as seed capital to be used for the procurement of seeds, vermicast and other inputs [3].

Promoting integrated farming, the city established a 4,000 square meter lot in Barangay Tacas, Jaro, that has been equipped with hydroponics, a greenhouse, and drip irrigation by the Department of Agriculture [1]. In addition, the city also held trainings that taught people how to prepare compost, start a plant nursery, and transfer seedlings, and conducted seminars about urban farming to empower representatives of the districts and orienting stakeholders about the new urban farming ordinance. There will also be a competition for the most productive urban garden. [4]

Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
vegetable gardens
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Please specify "other marginalized group"
Indigenous groups
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Cultural services
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Marginalized groups
Other
Please specify other local relevant strategy
Gender and Development program to support women empowerment. [5]
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The Department of Agriculture Western Visayas (DA-WV) and the Iloilo City Government piloted the initiative [2] The city government provides financial support for the acquisition of seeds and other farming inputs [4] The Department of Agriculture provides training on urban farming [1,2] The vegetable gardens are maintained by the district representatives [2,3]
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Citizens or community group
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
Plant Plant Plant Program of the Department of Agriculture [2]
Gender and Development Program (GAD) [5]
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Spatial planning guidance
Other
Please specify other type of mandatory intervention
An ordinance to create areas for urban farming in all 180 districts of IloIlo city: An Ordinance Institutionalizing Urban Agriculture in the City of Iloilo
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The project developed a regulation which makes mandatory the creation of areas for urban farming in all 180 districts of IloIlo city: An Ordinance Institutionalizing Urban Agriculture in the City of Iloilo [3].
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
Plant Plant Plant Program of the Department of Agriculture [2]
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Other
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
No
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
The ordinance will also mandate the provision of PHP1.5 million yearly: EUR 25000.
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of goods
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Local stewardship model
Green health model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Policy innovation
Governance innovation
Please specify social innovation
Governance innovation: The project was created to ensure household food security amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic [2]. The communal gardens are expected not only to serve as a source of food but also as a source of livelihood to combat the threat of hunger in the midst of the pandemic [2]. The city provides a series of seminars to empower district representatives, but the vegetable gardens are maintained by the district representatives [2,3]
Policy innovation: A landmark regulation, "An Ordinance Institutionalizing Urban Agriculture in the City of Iloilo "was created with the aim of creating urban farming areas in all 180 districts of IloIlo City. [3]
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is completely new without connections to previous initiative(s)
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The idea of the project was born amidst the Covid-19 pandemic to promote food security in the city when there was limited food transportation from the rural regions around the city [5].
Replicability/Transferability
Ambiguous (e.g. multiple interpretations)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The project implementation started in three pilot areas and then was replicated in other districts in order to help Iloilo City residents to attain food security.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Environmental quality
Improved soil quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Restoration of derelict areas
Please specify other economic impact
The project also aims to unite, empower and gather the districts for quick socioeconomic recovery. [6]
Description of environmental benefits
Improved soil quality: New organic gardens without chemical fertilizer with the use of recyclable materials have been highly encouraged.[6]
Increased green space area: Work in barangays which have committed to establishing their own communal vegetable garden is underway [1] Currently, around 300 hectares in the city are planted with rice and vegetables. [3] Other significant achievements: clean and green environment [5]
Restoration of derelict areas: Some of the community gardens were vacant lots and dumping sites previously, and they were transformed for urban gardening purposes [5].
Economic impacts
Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Generation of income from NBS
Other
Description of economic benefits
The initial project, which established communal vegetable gardens in 12 barangays, helped a lot in providing jobs, and provision of nutritious foods [1].
The project will also provide training on entrepreneurship so residents will have options for their surplus production [1].



Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
Improved access to urban green space
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased access to healthy/affordable food
Health and wellbeing
Improved physical health
Improved mental health
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Improvement in people’s connection to nature
Education
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Safety
Increased perception of safety
Description of social and cultural benefits
- Fair distribution of NBS benefits: the produced vegetables were being donated to the Uswag Community Kitchen for the consumption of health workers, COVID-hit patients in quarantine facilities and quarantine-affected families, among others. The project also helped improve the nutritional status of beneficiaries, especially indigent families.[5]
-Improved access to urban green space and -Increased access to healthy/affordable food: More than 500 households could benefit and will have access to the safe, nutritious and available vegetable produce of their newly established communal garden [2] Residents are welcome to get vegetables such as eggplant, pechay, lettuce, kamote, peppers, and patola, among others for free [5].
Increased opportunity for marginalised groups: The project also empowers women by involving them in food production [5]. The project supported the involvement of Indigent women of reproductive age with children below five years old, out-of-school youth and adolescents [6].
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: Residents may engage in a container, vertical, or any type of gardening doable in the urban setting with the assistance of their office and other departments of the city government [3]
Improved physical and mental health: the expansion of the urban gardening initiative would mean .. good mental health for the residents, and a better environment for the city [4]. The project promotes over-all health and well-being of residents through nutrient-rich organic vegetables [6].
Improvement in people’s connection to nature: The project contributed to the understanding of the symbiotic relationship of plants and the environment, and the people were provided with something to do [1] The project can help to boost in psycho-social well-being of the Ilonggos (indigenous groups in IloIlo) [5]
Education/Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits: The project increased public awareness that the local residents too can produce their own food. [1]
Increased perception of Safety: The project is under the banner of food security established at the height of quarantine due to coronavirus disease. [1] During the pandemic, it was found to be difficult to be too much dependent on the outside. With lockdowns and checkpoints it was very difficult for vegetables to be transported to the city” [4]
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Number of plots
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Positive distribution of NBS benefits
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Increased access to healthy food for humans and/or animals
Please specify other method used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Site visit and validation by the city officials [1]
Regular project monitoring visits and consultation meetings were undertaken. Bookkeeping and documentation of expenses and harvesting is also carried out.
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
The project was created to increase food security amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Collection of monitoring data at specific time intervals during the project to aid evaluation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Measurements of biophysical aspects of the NBS (e.g. temperature, water flow)
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Other
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
List of references
[1] Lena, P. (2021). Iloilo City expands urban garden project. [online] www.pna.gov.ph. Available at: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1128977 [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[2] Iloilo Today (2020). DA pilots urban gardening in Iloilo City thru ‘adopt a barangay’ program. [online] Iloilo Today. Available at: https://www.iloilotoday.com/da-urban-gardening-iloilo/ [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[3] Lena, P. (2022). Iloilo City institutionalizes urban agriculture. [online] www.pna.gov.ph. Available at: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177821. [Accessed 27 Jan. 2023].
[4] Lena, P. (2022). 31 more Iloilo City villages to adopt urban gardening. Philippine News Agency. [online] 22 Feb. Available at: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168289 [Accessed 9 Feb. 2023].
[5] PanayNews (2021) Power in Green. Available at: https://www.panaynews.net/power-in-green/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
[6] Nonoy Taclino, IloIlo Today (2020) Iloilo City starts edible landscaping. Available at: https://www.iloilotoday.com/iloilo-city-edible-landscaping/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].
Comments and notes
Public Images
Communal garden
The urban gardening project of the village Sambag, Jaro, one of the 12 barangays that implemented the “JPT Ediscape for Iloilo City” that was implemented in August 2020.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177821