In celebration of the 2022 National Women’s Month, Smart continued working with women-led organizations to help ensure food security in low-income communities. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the flow of goods from farms to markets, Smart has been advocating home gardening, supporting the evolution of ‘plantitas’ nationwide.
“Under our #PlantSmart advocacy, we motivate Filipino families to grow their own edible garden or establish sustainable community ‘plantries’ to secure food for the home,” said Kristine Joyce Magadia, Smart Manager for Livelihood and Nutrition Programs.
Smart seeks to uplift and improve the overall physical and mental wellness of Filipinos through initiatives that ensure food security, improve nutrition, and create awareness online.
Each #PlantSmart kit contains easy-to-grow vegetable seedlings often consumed by Filipinos. The package also includes loam soil and fertilizers. Beneficiaries are also given links to Smart’s ‘Kalye Mabunga’, an infotainment web series that shares tips on how to start and manage an urban garden.
Partnering with women-led Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Shrine Parish Pastoral Council (OLMMPPC) in Muntinlupa City, Smart turned over 300 packs of #PlantSmart kits that will be distributed to members, volunteers, many of whom are homemakers who find time to help in the parish’s daily operations and community outreach programs.
Other OLMMPPC-affiliated women-led organizations that received #PlantSmart kits are Ministry of Ushers, Greeters and Collectors, Familia, Children of Mary, Miraculous Medal Family Center and Basic Ecclesial Communities that also conduct outreach activities in urban poor areas.
“We have established community gardens for indigents. The donation will help us reach more families in need of sustainable food sources,” added Nora Bolinao, Chapter Head, CFC Handmaids of the Lord – Posadas.
Smart also donated 100 packs to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Enlisted Personnel Village Women’s Club of Taguig City to boost their ongoing edible urban gardening efforts.
Evelyn Alvior whose husband is a retired AFP officer shared that they have been able to maximize planting in limited spaces, including the harvest of fruits and vegetables using garden boxes, plastic cups, and sardine cans.
“Through our community gardening efforts, and with added planting kits from Smart, we will continue augmenting the food supply of our families,” Alvior said.
The #PlantSmart program emphasizes Smart’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) No. 2 on Zero Hunger, and SDG No. 3 on Good Health and Well-Being.