The new normal and lockdowns have required us to rethink certain activities. Hobbies such as gardening that were once seen as fun pastimes can now help in improving food sustainability and reducing the need to make unnecessary trips. In fact, gardening can be a vital solution to avoiding long queues and limited supplies during enhanced community quarantine.
From having some herbs spouting on a kitchen windowsill to planting vegetable seeds in pots outside your home, some care and sunlight will ensure you maintain a few essential items within arm’s reach.
Gardens can easily be started in a backyard or a community and don’t require a sprawling estate or deep agricultural knowledge to get growing. One Philippine developer was ahead of the gardening trend. MyCitiHomes recognized the need for food sustainability within communities and incorporated it into Sabella with the creation of Kaway’an Ecofarm.
MyCitiHomes makes gardening a reality for Sabella residents
The Kaway’an Ecofarm is the first of its kind for a residential real estate community in the Philippines. The three-hectare space is dedicated to sustainable projects and activities that not only provide joy for residents but positively impact the environment as well.
MyCitiHomes is starting a green revolution at Sabella with urban gardening being its champion project. The homebuilder sees several key benefits of urban gardening at its Kaway’an Ecofarm.
“The Kaway’an Ecofarm located near the residential community is envisioned to have activities that will keep elderly family members productive. This will greatly help preserve their sense of usefulness and belongingness,” MyCitiHomes CEO Rosie Tsai shares. “Community gardening also initiates activities where family members can link together and have fun with therapeutic benefits. As a bonus, younger members of the family have something else to do other than spending so much time on gadgets!”
Of course, there is also a financial benefit to gardening. Cultivating quick-growing herbs like mint, spring onions and basil mean you will no longer need to buy these from the store. There is also the opportunity to grow high-value crops such as lettuce, dill, tarragon and stevia. These can be consumed at home or sold at the Community Cooperative through the Homeowners Association.
Residents who aren’t experienced gardeners or simply want to learn more about the process will be provided support by MyCitiHomes. It is all part of the developer’s belief that their work doesn’t stop once a home has been handed over.
“We do things differently at MyCitiHomes. For us, the project may be completed, but MyCitiHomes still cares to be involved with community development even after the turnover,” Rosie explains. “Indeed, residents won’t have to go through this project alone. MyCitiHomes has committed to making sure that community gardens will have farmhands at the ready to help teach farming, and assist those who are interested to participate, especially the senior members of the community. They will also initiate cooperatives within communities, which provides an avenue for home gardeners to sell their produce, allowing them a supplemental source of income.”
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