Allotment Gardens of Cagayan de Oro: Their Contribution to Food Security and Urban Environmental Management

Six so-called allotment gardens have been established in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, by converting idle lots to facilitate the legal access of almost 70 urban poor families to land for food production. Surveys show that 25 % of the allotment gardeners ’ produce is consumed by themselves, 7 % is given away to relatives and friends while 68 % is sold to walk-in clients from the neighbourhood. The available income of the gardeners has thus been increased by about 20 %. Among the non-monetary benefits of the allotment gardens are the strengthening of social values since they have become places where people can meet, discuss issues and enjoy spending quality time with their families and friends in a clean and natural environment. The allotment gardens contribute also to the reduction of solid waste in the neighbourhood by converting biodegradable wastes into compost. Ecological sanitation toilets in the garden further contribute to close the loop in the waste cycle. GIS-based community mapping was done in all areas to include the views and opinions of the community into the database of the city government to enable a more participatory approach in city planning. Presently, a city ordinance is being prepared to give tax incentives to land owners who will make their land available for allotment gardens