Metro Manila Residents Plant Their Own Food

When news about the rice shortage hit the stands, the people living in Metro Manila were the ones affected the most since food hardly comes from that region. The capital region of the Philippines is known for being an urban jungle and rice is hardly planted in it despite its 13 million rice eaters.

At this time when food is becoming scarcer by the day, people should take it upon themselves to learn how to produce their own and not rely upon the other people to supply them with everything that they need. It is very easy to blame drought and typhoons and farmers who convert their farmlands for the shortage in the world's food supply. However, the fact remains that when food becomes scarcer than it is now, it will be those farthest from the farmlands who will suffer the most. In the Philippines, the residents of the national capital region (Manila) are the ones who will be hardest hit by scarcity and high food prices.

Urban agriculture is actually not as difficult as most people think. Even in Manila, where many people live and everything seem to be in concrete, food farming is very easy. Aside from self-sufficiency, another advantage that urban farming gives is the assurance that food on the table is purely organic and not filled with harmful fertilizers and sprinkled with deadly pesticides.

The attached video is from the Reuters News Agency, showing actual experiences of people in Metro Manila who actually produce the very food that they eat. In the video, creative ways of producing food even in the most crowded urban spaces are shown.