Manila – BLPC Urban Farm

The BLPC is a tight-knit community of 1,600 souls in some 500 plus apartments of four-story walk-up units, situated minutes away (by foot) from North EDSA SM-Shopping Mall, Trinoma, and the neighbouring rapid transit (MRT) station, in Quezon City, Metro-Manila.  Built by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in the late 1970s, on what was then the edge of the city, the apartments have meanwhile been sold with just 30% still rented and it is now rather poorly maintained but has many mature trees – especially mangos.

The project intends to promote the growing of food crops on some 5,000 ft2 of underused parts of BLPC and in small gardens and on balconies to develop an exemplary urban farm and community open space.  It is intended to grow fruit and vegetables organically and in time maybe even house livestock.  This should demonstrate the possibilities to grow food in a densely urbanized area with limited resources and thence to inspire others to start growing (some of) their own food in the underutilized urban spaces, on balconies and roofs.

The rationale for the project is based on the premise that environment and community issues are closely interlinked and that one can be tackled with the aid of the other.

The aims of the Urban Farm are as follows:

• grow organic fruit, herbs and vegetables;
• compost kitchen waste;
• sell produce through a community grocery store or create a community farmers market or CSA initiative;
• host workshops to educate and expose city dwellers to the possibilities of urban farming and to train ‘urban farmers’;
• host workshops for street children in order to provide farming and business skills training and hire these to carry out some tasks;
• research, design and develop best practices for farming under the conditions of the site;
• serve as an outdoor community and activity space (such as yoga and dance classes) for building residents, street children and the neighbourhood as a whole;
• establish working arrangements between the land and building owners and their Association (BLPC), the street children as urban farm workers, managers, and food consumers, commercial marketing of the produce, and TCIP and the street children NGOs who will guide the project.

Contact : info@transitionph.org