CORPORATE CITIZEN
Vegetable patches for GK villagers
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:38:00 11/09/2008
Filed Under: Corporate social responsibility
THE GROWING legion of Filipinos around the country who have benefited from the groundbreaking work of Gawad Kalinga are more than happy just knowing that they now have a roof over their heads that they can call their own.
But ardent Gawad Kalinga supporters have realized that the struggle to rescue less-privileged Filipinos from the depths of poverty can not end with the construction and turnover of new houses.
These beneficiaries may have homes, but they are still faced with the pressing problems of unemployment and hunger.
The noble work must therefore continue, and many corporations have responded to the call by attacking the unemployment issue using different weapons--skills training, job placement and extension of easy credit to budding entrepreneurs among residents of Gawad Kalinga villages.
Pharmaceutical company Wyeth Philippines Inc., meanwhile, is waging its own battle against hunger by zeroing in on a food-sufficiency program.
Wyeth kicked off its ambitious program last Oct. 24 in GK Yolanda in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Villagers there are being taught to nurture more fruit trees, plant vegetables and raise chickens and pigs so they may be able to sustain themselves.
By maximizing the use of fertile land around the village, they will have no need to spend much of their meager family resources--about P200 a day--on food.
And they grow not just ordinary food, but food packed with vitamins and minerals that they will need to remain healthy.
Rochelle Hilario, Wyeth communications manager, told the Inquirer that Wyeth sought the expertise of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Central Luzon State University, and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute to ensure that the villagers would plant the right trees and vegetables.
The result of that collaboration is a priority list of vitamin-packed vegetables, which include eggplants, squash, ampalaya (bitter gourd), and fruits, mainly pineapples, bananas and papayas.
These varieties were chosen because they are not only easy and inexpensive to grow, but are also a major part of the Filipino diet.
Hilario added that an area around the village--about a hectare in size--would also be dedicated to the growing of medicinal plants as well as production of organic fertilizer, which would again help the villagers to become self-sufficient.
To help start the villagers off on the road to food security, Wyeth has committed to bankroll the setting up of the GK Wyeth farm, including the purchase of vegetable seeds and fruit tree saplings and preparation of the land. It will also invest in the irrigation, setting up of compost area and greenhouse for seed generation.
Gawad Kalinga, on the other hand, is responsible for training the villagers to make the most out of the farms from which they will hopefully get a good portion of their food bill.
Marco C. Flores, who handles the food sufficiency programs of Gawad Kalinga, said the farm would be divided into five lots and five families will be assigned to take care of one plot. What they grow in their patch of land can be bartered for vegetables from the other plot. This way, they not only get more produce but they also get a neighbor they can lean on.
“You can increase income by lessening the expense and you can do that by growing food,” Flores said.
After Laguna, Wyeth will go to the GK Sunshine Village in Las Piñas and GK Ancop Canada in San Jose, Nueva Ecija, this month; GK Baseco in Tondo, Manila, in December and GK McCool Village in Moncada, Tarlac, in January. There are also plans to go to GK YFC Canada in Gasan, Marinduque.
The Wyeth food-sufficiency program is part of Gawad Kalinga's bigger program on food sufficiency, which was launched eight months ago. Wyeth was one of the first companies to respond to the call for investments, and is the only one so far that has incorporated nutrition into the equation.
Wyeth president and general manager Andrew L. Santos said the company made sure that nutrition would be a major thrust because it is true to Wyeth's vision to “lead the way to a healthier world.”
“This means discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing health care products that improve lives and deliver outstanding value to our customers and shareholders. It also means building charitable partnerships and using our resources to build a better, healthier way of life around the world,” Santos said.
"Wyeth Philippines is committed to give underprivileged communities access to better and more sustainable sources for the whole family. The program is designed to ensure that the community will be able to sustain the farm onwards, long after the program proponents have turned over the project," he added.
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