Raaina’s ninth birthday in 2019 marked the beginning of KWF’s story. Her appeal to save her school garden from being turned into a new building prompted this cause. Muneer, the father of Raaina, who has a background in social work, met with the school principal, who agreed to a joint project to build a microfarm in the school. Together, they brought Raaina’s idea to life.

The primary objective of KWF is achieving self-sufficiency because Zamboanga City currently relies on other provinces for 60 percent of its vegetable supply.KWF believes localizing the food system is key to accessing food and sustainable livelihoods, especially for marginalized communities.

In its fourth year, Robert Basco, a board of director of KWF, underlined the value of food and emphasized that more food produced locally means less waste.

KWF came up with two key programs as a response to food insecurity, aging farmers, and insufficient resources in the country. The first one is the Hyperlocal Food Network, which aims to establish youth-led community gardens and school microfarms in Mindanao using urban agriculture methods while also making sure they are sustainably managed. It also focuses on raising the next generation of farmers through capacity-building interventions and community involvement.