Adjusted course requirement

Students are required to submit a reflection paper with the theme “Role of the youth and crop science
in achieving food security and sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic” a NUMERIC GRADE. The
deadline of submission is on 21 June 2020 graduating students and 31 May 2021 for continuing students
with DEFERRED grades, respectively.

Guide questions for the reflection paper (100 points). Follow the order of the guide questions as the
suggested format. Note: Final score will be recorded as the average of the scores given by the Lecture
and Laboratory Professors. The reflection paper final score is 50% of the AGRI 31 FINAL GRADE.

ROLE OF THE YOUTH AND CROP SCIENCE IN ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

1. List down and discuss briefly the crop science-related activities being undertaken by your
community during this COVID-19 pandemic. (20 points)

The Crop science-related activities being undertaken by the National Government during the
Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Agriculture Issued a Special Order No. 335 (Creation of the
Covid-19 Food Resiliency Task Force) on March 15, 2020. The Covid-19 Food Resiliency Task Force
provides direction to address food security in line with the Covid-19 pandemic by ensuring
availability, accessibility, affordability of safe and nutritious food from identified production areas to
areas greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the senate
committee on agriculture, food and agrarian reform also distributed vegetable seeds to help
residents grow their own food while Luzon remained under lockdown due to the corona virus
disease. Senator Villar, also stressed that home gardening is needed to ensure the food supply of
fruits and vegetables during these challenging times.

When the whole island of Luzon was put into lockdown Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero issued
EO 19-2020, wherein he exempted farmers and fisherfolks from the ECQ, he considered them as
part of “food Manufacturing”. Governor Chiz Escudero issued EO 19 -2020, because the
“palengkes’s” and stores would be rendered useless unless the farmers and fisherfolks are allowed
to harvest and catch their produce and bring it to the market. The local government of Sorsogon
also installed “KADIWA” – Katuwang sa Diwa at Gawa para sa Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita –
Stores which is a marketing strategy of the Department of Agriculture which directly connects the
food producers to the consumers whereby the cost of goods are having low-price. We Sorsoganon’s
also launched our own relief supply chain called “Kindness Stations” for people who had lost their
livelihood during the Luzon-wide lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak. These concept of these
stations is, people are allowed to get what they need and encouraged to donate any surplus food
and other supplies for others in their communities who don’t have or couldn’t afford them. These
stations inculcates the values of sharing, ‘bayanihan’ spirit, generosity and empathy among people
in the community.

The Local Government of Sorsogon together with the Sorsogon City Police Station also
encouraged its citizens to grow their own food. Which is why our family is gardening. Our garden
currently consists of bitter gourd, chilli, bell pepper, tomatoes, raddish, spring onion, lady fingers,
horseraddish, pechay, spring onions, squash, Pineapple, swamp cabbage, taro, calamansi, atis,
sitaw, cacao, banana, mulberry and star fruit.
Crop Science – Related Activities
 Worlwide
 Philippines – cynthia villar distributed seedlings (this can help in food security and keeping the
citizen busy by serving as recreation activity during quarantine)
 Sorsogon – the municipality of Sorsogon continue to support local farming and have installed
different “Kadiwa” stores which helps the farmers sell crops without the interference of
middlemen. Many volunteers also created the “The Kindness Station” which is open to everyone
to get their needs available in the stations
 Barangay -
 Home – we have started cultivating our own garden and grown different crops in every plot

2. Describe your community’s food supply in terms of availability, affordability, nutrition/safety, and
accessibility. Is your community food secure based on these factors? (40points)

Our community’s, the province of Sorsogon, food security is slowly declining during the covid-19
pandemic. This is due to many factors such as the hoarding of consumers, lacking supplies, and others.
These factors could fall in terms of availability, affordability, nutrition/safety, and accessibility.
 availability – available food supply in our community is decreasing because of the enhanced
community quarantine implemented on Luzon where supplies coming from different areas were
stopped and transport have been difficult.
 affordability – the capacity to buy food depends on the social class of a family whereas some
have difficulty because some live by paychecks per day while some have blue-collared jobs that
keep the family stable. despite being stuck on their own homes, many Filipinos were able to
receive the social amelioration program. along with this, many government and volunteer
groups continued to distribute relief goods to many households.
 nutrition/safety – with the difficulty to even go out our homes, many people put their health at
risk by just eating non-nutritious foods such as preserved and canned goods. this results to many
people laking the nutrition needed by their bodies. in terms of safety, we should stay be wary
because the spreading virus could be anywhere and is not visible to the naked eye.
 accessibility – many people can’t access food supplies easily because either they don’t have
enough money or the food is not available. Either way, it is truly difficult to access food in our
current situation. Some communities still have to grant ECQ pass to go out and buy food then
have to wait in a long line before entering a market. the covid-19 pandemic surely hit the
Philippines so hard that it continues to kill many people and to stress out people inside the four
walls of their homes.

thankfully, we have been able to go home on time before being stuck in the uplb dorm where food
supply has become limited.
3. Give 5 crops that could be grown/planted in your community during the quarantine period. Explain,
why? (20 points)

kangkong
calamansi
malunggay
pechay

4. What is your vision for a “new normal life” in crop production? (20pts)

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed “systematic weaknesses” not only in the global health sector but
even in the country’s agriculture sector. Because Covid-19 has not only raised the food prices but it also
threatened the nutritional security for Filipinos. After this pandemic the new normal would be Urban
Agriculture Filipinos would resort to home gardening for their steady supply of staple fruits and
vegetables. The Department of Agriculture even implemented a program called the “plant, plant, plant
program” or “Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat (ALPAS) Laban sa Covid 19” which has a budget of nearly 2
billion pesos that would help boost its urban agriculture project and revitalized gulayan project by the
distribution of free seeds to households and the establishment of vegetable gardens in public areas in
partnership with the local government units (LGU’s) and Schools. Currently, Urban Agriculture in the
Philippines is slowly gaining ground but still has a miniscule contribution to the overall crop production.
Hopefully, thru the programs of the Department of Agriculture more Filipino Households will participate
in Urban Agriculture.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/05/30/business/agribusiness/urban-agriculture-should-be-
taken-seriously/561900/
https://business.mb.com.ph/2020/05/06/growing-own-food-will-be-the-new-normal-after-covid-
19/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=4b9c2fc0797fe1f97bcba3dfe0df6de17da0c223-1588905397-0-
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dMVG-I-8fY
https://www.da.gov.ph/da-assures-enough-food-supply-thru-plant-plant-plant-program/
https://croplife.org/news-views/covid-19/
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/12/20/villar-urges-home-gardening-distributes-seeds
https://www.da.gov.ph/covid-19-food-resiliency-task-force-frequently-asked-questions/