• March 29, 2024

Millions of people around the world experience the lack of affordable and nutritious food. In the Philippines, close to 3.9 million Filipino families continue to experience involuntary hunger and around 40% of all Filipinos are considered food poor. 

To address these growing challenges, Epson has partnered with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines to help improve the resilience of food systems and rebuild livelihoods of local communities. Together with WWF Philippines, Epson recently built a Food Shed Farming System in Tarlac City.

“The system utilizes a food shed model that acts as a modular greenhouse made of locally available materials and uses green and natural farming technologies such as composting, rainwater harvesting, natural pest and disease control,” said WWF Philippines project manager Monci Hinay.

“It is an agriculture-based livelihood intervention that promotes sustainable production, integrates the elements of low-impact urban agriculture technologies, and provide communities with food security while operating within planetary boundaries and protecting habitats and biodiversity,” he explained.

Carrying saws and bolos, male volunteers prepare bamboos that will be used in the foundation of the food shed structure.

Epson volunteers, together with WWF Philippines representatives, local government officials, and representatives from the City Agriculturist Office, participated in the construction of the food shed in San Jose de Urquico, Tarlac.

The food shed will directly provide livelihood opportunities to caretakers, who will manage the overall production of high-quality vegetables and poultry products, and facilitate linkage to local community buyers of the produce and livestock products.

Epson’s second food shed is located in Sapang Tagalog, Tarlac. With these two locations, Epson and WWF Philippines aim to train community members in food production, value chain, and business development; improve access to high-quality and locally produced food for households in San Jose de Urquico and Sapang Tagalog; and improve the resilience of low-income communities to stresses brought by the pandemic and climate change.

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