DA-7 to LGUs: Make good use of your farmlands

Local

A FULL pantry means little if no one knows how to cook.

This was the message of the Department of Agriculture- Central Visayas (DA-7) as it urged local government units (LGUs) to maximize the region’s unused farmlands to strengthen food security.

DA-7 Director Angel Enriquez said Central Visayas remains food secure due to its vast agricultural areas. However, she stressed that many of these lands remain idle, and it is up to LGUs to transform them into productive zones.

“Here in Central Visayas, there is nothing to worry because we are always food secure. There are a lot of production areas just waiting to be plowed and that is the challenge of the local government units,” Enriquez said.

She explained that food security involves more than just availability , food must also be affordable, accessible, and nutritious for communities to thrive.

These four elements, she said, determine whether a household can reliably meet its food needs.

To support this goal, DA-7 continues to collaborate with farmers, fisherfolk, regional agencies, and private stakeholders through various agriculture and food distribution programs.

Enriquez encouraged the Department of Education (DepEd) to maintain the “Gulayan sa Paaralan” program, which promotes school-based vegetable gardens to enhance student nutrition.

She also called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to sustain community gardens in every sitio as a grassroots solution to food insecurity.

She cited the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” program as an example of successful market linkage, where farmers and cooperatives directly sell their produce to consumers.

This eliminates middlemen and benefits both producers and buyers through fair prices.

Enriquez’s remarks echo the agriculture-focused priorities outlined by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address.

The president committed to expanding support for farmers and fisherfolk through financial aid, free training, and seed capital for 2.5 million poor families.

DA-7 emphasized that long-term food security in the region relies not only on available land, but also on the collective will to use it wisely.(MyTVCebu)