Urban Agriculture in Naga City
“Growing Food,
Growing Partnerships,
Growing Naga”
Wednesday June 6th, 2007
PLAN 548H: Naga City Planning Studio Course
Final Presentation
Kathryn Hill Kaitlin Kazmierowski Dee Dee Quinnelly

“Food like no other
commodity, allows for a
political reawakening, as
it touches our lives in so
many ways…from the
intimacy of breastfeeding
to discussions at the
World Trade
Organization”
-Welsh and MacRae, 1998

Presentation Outline
The Naga Context
Project Goal
Benefits of Urban Agriculture
Program Components
Recommendations
Conclusions

The Naga Context
• Agricultural activity is concentrated in 11 of
27 barangays
• 65.78% of Naga’s total land area is
devoted to agriculture
• In 1999 alone, 1660 ha were converted
from agricultural uses
• Rice, sugarcane, coconut and corn are the
main crops produced
• Current UA ordinances are prohibitive
• Production pressures are changing the
face of agriculture

The Naga Context

The Project Goal...
To develop and promote UA in Naga City
as a viable livelihood option to enhance
agricultural productivity and conserve
lands critical for sustainable food security

Why Urban Agriculture?
The Benefits of a Holistic Approach
• Food Security
• Income Generation
• Environmental
Sustainability
• Community Links
• Growth Management
• Empowerment

Program Components
Land Use Planning &
Management
Education, Training and Extension
Research and Development
Marketing and Finance

Research and Development
Research and development feeds
agricultural sustainability
• Baseline data
• Technology
development

Research and Development: Key
Findings in Naga
Opportunities Constraints
• Technology development
• Geographically-restricted
focus
data
• Socio-economic &
• Lack of databases & GIS
environmental
implementation
assessments
• Minimal farmer
participation

Research and Development:
Recommendations
• Comprehensive community assessments
• Create databases and incorporate GIS
• Collaborate with research institutions
• Adopt participatory technology development
• Focus on “urban-specific” technologies

Education, Training and Extension
Education in the foundation upon which collaboration and
action flourish
Farmer: Sustainable Agriculture, Political know-how
Public: Holism, Schools, Universities and Popular
Education
Planner: UA Benefits, Facilitation
Politician: UA Benefits, Enabling Mechanisms

Education, Training and Extension:
Key Findings in Naga
Opportunities Constraints
• Stigmatization and low self-
• CAgO’s Current Programs
confidence of farmers
• Extensive local knowledge
• Accessibility issues
• Some UA present (local skill)
• Lack of multi-stakeholder
collaboration
• Political will (UA support)
• Lack of comprehensive data to
inform enabling policies

Education, Training and Extension:
Recommendations
• Database Creation: a Multi-Stakeholder Approach
• Bottom-Up Education: Keep Local Needs in Mind
• Make UA a Public Affair: Community Links, Food
Festivals, Wellness Fairs
• Link Education and Marketing: “Natural Naga”, “Bicol’s
Bounty”

Marketing and Finance
• Fosters Entrepreneurship
Strategies
• Credit provision
• Investment in technology
• Savings schemes
• Tax incentives

Marketing and Finance: Key
Findings in Naga
Constraints
Opportunities
• Poor transport services
• Strong political representation
of producers and vendors • Mistrust of cooperatives
• Well established infrastructure • Limited marketing assistance
• Lack of alternative livelihood
strategies
• Uneven geographical
coverage

Marketing and Finance:
Recommendations
• Improve business management
assistance
• Create and promote cooperatives
• Provide appropriate financing schemes
• Promote alternative livelihood strategies
• Improve dispersion of financial and
marketing strategies

Land Use Planning and
Management
Planning Supports UA
• Strategic Land Use Plans
• Standards for
Development
• Regulatory Frameworks

Land Use Planning and Management:
Key Findings in Naga
Opportunities Constraints
• Proactively direct growth and • Land availability, accessibility
development and usability
• Comprehensive Land Use • Lack of agricultural land
Plan 2000 update designation in the city proper
• GIS Technology • Lack of incentives for UA
designation of idle lands

Land Use Planning and
Management: Recommendations
• Assess city proper
lands for UA
suitability (CP lead)
• Designate and
integrate UA into
Land Use Plan 2007
• Develop or revise
municipal by-laws &
legislation

The Policy Continuum
UA Plan to
Research, Education
inform policy
and Advocacy
decisions
supports UA
Policy translates
to action

Recommendations Income
generation
Health
Benefits
Environmental Empowerment
Sustainability Food
Security
Marketing Strategies
Education
Research & Development
Land Use & Management
Institutionalization of UA

Turning Recommendations into Action:
“The Naga Farming School”
• Education centre with attached communal garden plot
demonstrating sustainable agriculture
• City earmarks public lands to support UA project
initiative
• Grounded in local needs, making use of local assets and
opportunities
• Showcase of Naga’s commitment to UA and
sustainability

Conclusion We feel that Naga is on
the cusp of achieving a
sustainable UA system;
all that remains is
putting the
wheels in motion
in order to enable it to
grow.

Thank you to all who helped
along the way…