Farming in the Philippines has always been a thankless endeavor, with many livelihood farmers rarely getting the chance to claw their way out of poverty. This is doubly so for urban farming. The lack of arable land and the less-than-ideal environmental conditions make it difficult to earn a profit.
The SM Group aims to provide a helping hand in uplifting communities and promoting environmental consciousness with its Urban Farming initiative led by the SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan on Sustainable Agriculture Program (KSK-SAP).
The urban farming initiative will focus on high-value crop production as this is the most efficient way of generating revenue from limited farming space. The produce can either be sold to SM Markets or directly to end-users in the community. This is in line with the vision of SM’s founder, the late Henry Sy Sr. of empowering individuals to cultivate their own produce to foster potential income sources while contributing to the country’s overall environmental sustainability.
For the new urban farming initiative, SM Group has partnered with the Department of Agriculture, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry, and local government units.
“The joining of expertise and resources of the different agencies will help make farming sustainable. In this journey, we have to work together in learning new farming technologies, discover talent, and plan for a better future. Let us take advantage of this opportunity and share our learnings to others. We warmly welcome all of our partners and beneficiaries into our family and know that we stand beside you in your journey of learning,” SM assistant vice president for Operations Jocelyn Clariño.
“We are very happy to be part of this initiative. If we can provide equal chances to our producers, lower the logistics costs in the urban areas and give farmers direct access to the market, they would fully realize the fruits of their labors. On behalf of the President and Secretary of Agriculture Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the department is united with SM Group in their goal for food security and to help give our farmers a sustainable way of living,” Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry director Gerald Glenn Panganiban said.
Beneficiaries of the program will be provided comprehensive training on urban farming techniques with the aim of transforming underutilized urban spaces into productive gardens. This will be complemented with hands-on lectures on product development, marketing, and basic accounting — tools that would help the beneficiaries create and run a small business for their produce.
The KSK-SAP is one of the SM Foundation’s pillars and since its inception in 2007, the program has worked numerous times with government agencies and partner farm schools.
It has successfully trained over 28,550 beneficiaries in both rural and urban farming methods and techniques.
