Newly-elected Misamis Oriental Governor Pedro Unabia vowed to reintroduce “back to basics” agricultural practices to improve the province’s food security and sustainability.
Agriculture development, Unabia said, is an essential component of the government’s poverty eradication program, which means that every family can afford food on the table on a regular basis.
“Consultations with municipal agriculturists are a priority, in line with the thrusts of PBBM (President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) about food security and food sustainability,” the governor said during the inaugural convocation ceremony.
One of the interventions being looked into is the mainstreaming of backyard gardening.”
One of the interventions being looked into, he said, is the mainstreaming of backyard gardening, especially since it showed promise in terms of sustainability in the last two years of the pandemic.
“They said, as per (former) Gov. Bambi (now Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano), that our poverty incidence was 18.6 percent in 2019; but because of the pandemic, poverty incidence increased to 22 percent,” Unabia said.
As of 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded a population of 956,900.
Department of Agriculture–Northern Mindanao (DA-10) Director Carlene Collado has assured to back the governor’s agricultural programs for the province.
“The challenge is for the LGUs to actively propose for projects needed in, and appropriate to their location.”
“The DA is always supportive of Misamis Oriental. The challenge is for the LGUs (local government units) to actively propose for projects needed in, and appropriate to their location,” he said.
Unabia and key provincial officials have met with DA-10 officials last week to streamline different projects.
