Urban Farming and Food Security Nexus for Food Sovereignty and Food System Planning: The Case of a Highly Urbanized City in Metro Manila, Philippines

Rapid urbanization goes together with the expansion of urban poverty and the incidence of urban food insecurity. Creative urban farming strategies to achieve food sovereignty and a comprehensive food system plan are needed to address food insecurity and food injustice in vulnerable households in an urban economy. The research analyzed the relationship between urban farming and food security based on three (3) aspects: livelihood generation, vulnerability context, and asset (land) ownership as the basis of crafting a food system blueprint to address food injustice and food sovereignty. It adopted a case study method to evaluate a nearly decade-old urban farming program that provides food and livelihood and promotes environmental well-being and good health for the marginalized sector of selected geopolitical units of a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila. The study revealed that vulnerable families in highly urban economies depend on urban farming to feed their families daily and have alternative job opportunities on full-time or part-time engagements. The lack of access to constant income hinders the ability of households to purchase food and provide for the health needs of the family members. The involvement of vulnerable households in urban farming programs and food system development initiatives makes them resilient to variations and spikes in food prices. Food insecurity is also aggravated by a lack of ownership/tenure rights on land allocated for urban farming. Thus, households may not have access to affordable food, and innovativeness in the urban farming system is hampered. In this context, urban farming needs to be integrated into food system planning to address food injustice and provide direction and guidance in food production, distribution, and consumption. The right to own land as a farming asset should be a requisite in realizing a just food system that supports food sovereignty.