STAYING true to its tagline “Live More Today,” PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) entered into a collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) and its Center for Human Development to bolster agricultural support for urban sectors, educational institutions, and farmer associations in Cagayan de Oro City.
USTP’s Gulayan sa Kabalayan project trains farmer groups on sustainable farming in urban communities. Smart, through its PlantSmart program, turned over planting kits that came bundled with the Kalye Mabunga series of instructional videos to help guide USTP’s beneficiaries in cultivating their edible gardens.
Each planting kit contains vegetable seedlings, loam soil, and organic fertilizers, among others.
“We’re happy to be partnering with Smart in championing food security, resilience, and sustainability,” Angelie Collera, USTP Center for Human Development head, said.
“We’re happy to be partnering with Smart in championing food security, resilience, and sustainability. The plant kits will play a crucial role in boosting food security in Cagayan de Oro households,” she added.
USTP also plans to share the Kalye Mabunga video series on social media to help families grow their food.
“We want to express our gratitude to Smart for providing us with instructional materials on urban gardening. These videos will help our urban gardeners become more capable and confident, resulting in a more abundant harvest in their gardens,” Collera added.
“We look forward to sustaining this partnership with USTP, not just for food security, but for digital inclusion as well,” Judee Caroline Chaves, Mindanao Relations Head for Smart Stakeholder Management, said.
“As a telco, we want to leverage on the use of technology to enable our partners and empower more communities in the region,” she added.
Pagatpat Cagayan de Oro Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, a new organization of small-scale farmers in Barangay Pagatpat, also received a set of planting kits.
“We extend our thanks to Smart for their generosity, which is invaluable for a new organization like ours,” Ronny Obsioma, Pagatpat barangay councilor, said.
“These planting kits will alleviate financial strains on our cooperative’s funds and be of immense help to our farmers,” he added.
PLDT and Smart seek to uplift and improve the overall physical and mental wellness of Filipinos through programs that ensure food security, improve nutrition and create awareness online.
These projects also emphasize their commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG No. 2: Zero Hunger, and SDG No.3: Good Health and Well-Being.
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