Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto on Wednesday awarded a certificate of recognition and PHP40,000 cash prize to Barangay San Antonio (BSA) as the grand winner of the Sustainable Urban Gardening Contest 2021.

BSA chairman Raymond Lising said the recognition given by the mayor is a true testament to their barangay’s teamwork.

“We are very proud of this recognition and very relieved that all our hard work paid off,” he said.

Aside from having abundant produce of fruits and vegetables, the BSA urban garden stood out from the other 29 competing gardens because it also has a honey farm, mushroom farm, and waste composting.

“Again the sustainability of this project depended on the official caretakers of the garden, the support of the barangay, and the involvement of the general public,” Lising said.

Lising said some of the difficulties they encountered were looking for an ideal place or parcel of land to establish the garden; creativity to make the garden attractive and efficient in terms of produce; and developing the awareness and participation of barangay residents.

He said most of the plants in their garden are organic vegetables and fruits. The urban garden is being supervised by Pasig City street sweepers who are residents of BSA.

Meanwhile, Lising said the harvests of BSA’s urban garden are being sold to the public at very reasonable prices.

“The proceeds of the sales, in turn, become the revolving funds for the operating expenses for the garden,” he said. “This is what makes their urban garden very sustainable.”

He said community involvement is very important since the concept of supply and demand is created within the community.

Lising said having an urban garden provides food security in the community.

He stressed that having a garden reduces carbon footprints by reducing carbon emissions during the transportation of food, vegetables, and fruits from other regions.

“It also contributes to the healthy ecosystem of a barangay. Most important for me is that it acts as an avenue for the community to work together and be involved in something very meaningful,” he added.

Lising urged his constituents to come up with other environmental projects that would benefit their community in many ways.

“I highly encourage environmental projects like this. It brings communities together and unites them which is very relevant amid the pandemic,” he said. “You can collaborate with the barangay to make it happen. We are very open on projects that will positively impact our environment and our community.” (PNA)