EVALUATION OF GARDENING: Ensuring the food and supporting the

income of the citizens in Purok 4, Brgy. San. Roque Sta. Ana, Pampanga

Holy Cross College

Sta. Lucia, Sta. Ana, Pampanga

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the

Practical Research 2 and Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship

Senior High School

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

____________________

Maria Famela B. Franco

November 2020
 INTRODUCTION

Community gardening has been documented as an important supplemental source

contributing to food and nutritional security and livelihoods. For centuries, community gardens

have been an integral component of family farming and local food systems. In the literature,

home gardens are classified as mixed, kitchen, backyard, farmyard, compound, or homestead

garden. The introduction of community gardens may be able to reduce the impact of food deserts

in low-income areas and allow residents greater access to nutritious food that is necessary to live

a healthy life. Community gardens can mitigate some of the problems that plague urban areas.

They can be a beneficial addition to many communities by increasing the availability of

nutritious foods, strengthening community ties, reducing environmental hazards, reducing food

miles, and creating a more sustainable system. Community gardens can help reduce negative

environmental impacts by promoting sustainable agriculture; reducing food transportation costs

and reducing water runoff. Humans, plants, and animals can all benefit from urban agriculture

since it creates habitats and improves the ecology of the area.

Community gardening has been relevant today as the country facing a pandemic caused by

the COVID-19 virus that rendered more Filipinos jobless, with the Philippine Statistics Authority

reporting 7.3 million unemployed adults in April, and 4.6 million Filipinos were out of work in

July. The unemployment rate in the Philippines jumped to 10.0 percent in the September quarter

2020 from 5.4 percent in the same quarter a year earlier, amid the economic downturn caused by

the coronavirus crisis, the number of unemployed persons surged by 2.13 thousand to 4.57

million.
 The increase in the number of unemployed workers made the lack of resources of every

citizen which has led to an increase in the number of hungry people this year. The hunger rate in

the country based on the SWS survey was recorded at 20.9 percent or 5.2 million Filipinos.

September 17-20, 2020 SWS National Mobile Phone Survey revealed that around 24.1 million

individuals experienced hunger once or a few times, and 9.5 million individuals experienced

hunger often or always.

With the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus that made a lot of workers unemployed

and increases the number of hunger, there is a continuous need to increase food production to

sustain and ensure the food of every Filipinos. In this scenario, countries around the world,

especially developing countries where the pervasiveness of hunger and food scarcity is more

acute, are resorting to various counter-strategies to meet the growing demand and to avert food

insecurity and famine. As observed by the researcher who is a resident in Purok 4, Brgy. San

Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga can say that this barrio is lacking food maintenance and source of

income in this time of the pandemic.

As observed by the researcher, gardening is one of the best solutions to lessen hunger and

ensure the food of everyone. Consequently, there is much attention to gardens as a strategy to

enhance household food security and nutrition. As stated in the previous study of Dilrukshi

Hashini Galhena, gardening is an integral part of local food systems and the agricultural

landscape of developing countries all over the world and has endured the test of time.
This research will be an evaluation of the effectiveness of community gardening in sustaining the

income and food resources of the citizens in Purok 4, Brgy. San Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga.

The researcher will be conducting an interview with the Brgy. Captain about the exact number of

unemployed workers and the family that lacking food resources, as the pandemic came in the

country.

(introduction has clear and organize ideas.good job!)

Conceptual Framework

According to Poulsen et al. (2014), Community and home gardening are lauded as an

urban planning tool to boost local food systems while improving degraded urban environments.

To know how best to expand home gardening participation, this study explores the perceived

benefits of home gardening in Purok 4, San. Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. In-depth interviews

and focused group interviews with home gardeners will be identified that home gardening has

benefits on multiple levels. Gardeners will identify the benefits of home gardening in different

levels, such as the three main aspects of personal health, personal status, environment, etc. The

variability of perceived benefits that home gardening provides to individuals and their

communities should be promoted as a tool for developing healthy urban environments.

Figure 1 shows the IPO (Input-Process-Output) model that the researcher have employed

to show the process on how this study will be conducted. It also seeks to evaluate the benefits

and effectiveness of Home gardening in sustaining the foods and supporting the income of the

citizens in Purok 4, San. Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. The Input box shows the gardeners' profile

including their age, occupation before the pandemic occurs, and size of the family. It will also
 show the benefits that gardeners will have in terms of the three main aspects of personal health

and financials. And it seeks to know the effects of gardening on the environment and gardeners'

life. These questions will be the indicator to show the significant difference in the status of living

that they had and the changes they encountered before and during the pandemic caused by

COVID-19.

For the Process box, the researcher will be collecting the interviews, answers, and data

gathering of the gardeners that will be used to obtain the needed data in this study.

Lastly, for the Output box: the questionnaires made by the researcher served as;

evaluation of gardening in terms of ensuring the food and supporting the income of the citizens

in Purok 4, Brgy. San. Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

The respondents of
this study will be at
least fifteen citizens in
Purok 4, San Roque
Sta. Ana, Pampanga.
The following are the
questions that the
respondents need to
answer:
Profile of the
Respondents
 Age
 Occupation
 Size of the
family
Types of plants that
gardeners planted
The researcher will use a True
Experimental research design
in choosing the respondents. It
is a random selection of
participants a bias-free
The evaluation about the
selection that ensures the
effectivity of home
objectivity of results. The
gardening in sustaining
researcher will distribute a
the food of the citizens in
questionnaire that is intended
Purok 4, San. Roque, Sta.
to evaluate the effectiveness
Ana. Pampanga. Below
of gardening in ensuring the
are the things that the
food and income of the
researcher expected
citizens in Purok 4, Brgy. San
results of this study.
Roque Sta. Ana, Pampanga.
The data gathered will be  Evaluation
subjected to statistical
treatment and data analysis.  New Knowledge
Below are the things that  Answers to the
researchers will be used in questions in this research
collecting data needed in this  Findings
study.
 Data gathering

Benefits of gardening  Survey Questionnaires

 Fig. 1. Conceptual Paradigm
The figure above shows the process of the research. The first diagram contains the
variables that are needed to determine the effects and benefits of home gardening. The second
figure shows the process or method of the researcher that may use to collect or gather data. The
third figure shows the output or the possible result of the research.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to determine the benefits of gardening and how gardening can improve
and change the living of the residents of Purok 4, San. Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. 
Specifically, it seems to answer the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the gardeners in Purok 4, San. Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga based
on the following:
1.1 Age,
1.2 Occupation (before pandemic), and
1.3 Size of the Family
2. How gardening can help them to sustain their daily living?
3. The benefits that they can get through gardening in terms of:
3.1 The three main aspects of health (physical, social, mental health), and
3.2 Financially
4. What is the effect of home gardening in terms of:
4.1 Environment
4.2 Status of living, and
4.3 Personal life

Statement of the Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the variables.

H1: There is a significant relationship between the variables.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to gain a better understanding of the importance of gardening. This study

seeks to know the benefits and impact of home gardening in someone's life.

To the Citizens. The main beneficiary of this study is the citizens in Purok 4, San

Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. This is a good opportunity to lessen the hunger and ensure the food

of everyone, which they can use to improve their living and can support their financial needs.

To the Barangay Officials. The barangay officials are the second beneficiary of this

study. This can be a way to help and make their communities have better living and support the

basic needs of their subject area. Barangay officials can support home gardening and make this a

project in their community.

To the Researcher. The researchers’ skills in making studies and conducting

researches will be improved and it can lead to their knowledge expansion. This can also lead to

having a better understanding of the benefits that home gardening has by evaluating the

effectiveness of home gardening in sustaining the food and supporting the income of the citizens

in Purok 4, San Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga.

To the Future Researchers. Finally, the results of this study will contribute to the

existing body of knowledge with regards to the effectiveness of home gardening in ensuring food

and supporting the income of the citizens. This may serve as a literary basis for them.
Scope and Delimitation

This study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of home gardening in ensuring food and

supporting the income of the citizens in Purok 4, San Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. The

respondents came from a single location-barangay Purok 4, San Roque. The researcher

investigates the response and the perception of the respondent regarding home gardening.

This study is only limited to the gardeners in Purok 4, San Roque, Sta. Ana, Pampanga.

That started home gardening when the COVID-19 pandemic occurs in the country. The study

will cover the effectiveness of home gardening and the effects of home gardening in different

aspects of gardeners' life. Other barrios are excluded in this study, as well as those who are not

gardeners of the certain purok that have been mentioned. The researcher will be having at least

15 participants in answering the prepared questionnaires of this study. The researcher will use a

true experimental research design in selecting the participants, to avoid biased results and

ensures the objectivity of the results of this study.

Definition of Terms

Community Gardening - is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of

people. Community gardens utilize either individual or shared plots on private or public land

while producing fruit, vegetables, and/or plants grown for their attractive appearance.

Home Gardening - can be defined as a farming system that combines different physical,

social and economic functions on the area of land around the family home.

Hunger - is the term used to define periods when populations are experiencing severe food

insecurity—meaning that they go for entire days without eating due to lack of money, lack of

access to food, or other resources. 

 Pandemic - an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple

countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population: a

pandemic outbreak of a disease.

Pervasive - existing in or spreading through every part of something.

Scarcity - the quality or state of being scarce, especially: want of provisions for the support of

life.

Unemployment - is a term referring to individuals who are employable and seeking a job but

are unable to find a job. Furthermore, it is those people in the workforce or pool of people who

are available for work that does not have an appropriate job. Usually measured by the

unemployment rate, which is dividing the number of unemployed people by the total number of

people in the workforce, unemployment serves as one of the indicators of an economy’s status.

References

https://tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate

https://cnnphilippines.com/business/2020/6/5/unemployment-April-2020-COVID-19.html?
fbclid=IwAR3SQWed2TCe89BZlYJUStxhECJV9I0lBa5G9wu3E12Xl-sqyIZMQp95tl8

https://cnnphilippines.com/business/2020/9/3/PSA-July-unemployment-figures.html?
fbclid=IwAR31fdY0J0DJXUNnsGx3NprT9lQmIzFx4nWqz6EKLDuf0xObgeKuTtanYrk

https://theaseanpost.com/article/more-filipinos-starving-amid-pandemic

https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2048-7010-2-8

https://greenleafcommunities.org/the-many-benefits-of-community-gardens/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281333408_Farm_household_production_theories_A_revie
w_of_institutional_and_behavioral_responses