CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) – The provincial government of Pampanga taps 8,597 Nanay Community Workers (NCWs) to aid Kapampangan households in finding alternative sources of food and livelihood.

The NCWs were given assistance on backyard or container gardening, planting, harvesting and food marketing.

Governor Dennis Pineda underscored that the province has been constantly making initiatives geared in addressing the needs of Kapampangans ever since the national government declared an emergency health crisis in early 2020. 

“The current pandemic has caused problems on food supply, and the loss of jobs of many Kapampangans. This in turn affected the province’s food security. To address these problems, the provincial government conducted home-based livelihood and food security programs for the crisis that we are facing this 2021,” he said.

The governor added that the provincial government is focusing on home-based livelihood programs, particularly in the women's sector for the initiative.

For the program, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Angelina Blanco shared that online seminars on home-based urban gardening and harvesting will also be provided to NCWs.

“Two months before, we conducted a survey to gather information on the different gardens available to our NCWS. After that, we distributed seeds and seedlings,” she added.

Blanco said that the crops will be harvested for household consumption, market selling, or will be given as donations.

The advocacy is also in line with the Plant, Plant, Plant Program or Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat Laban sa COVID-19 Program of the Department of Agriculture which entails whole-of-nation approach to raise the country's food adequacy level. (MJSC/Jag Lyra D. Costamero-PIA 3)