Getting citi-zens interested in farming
Kota Kinabalu: City Hall is introducing My Farmville to promote urban recreational farming as a community activity.
The project held at Kingfisher is the first attempt by City Hall to involve the community as a whole and is aimed at introducing efficient use of resources through organic compost and to help lessen the cost of living.
State Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs Datuk Jainab Ahmad who officiated the project at the City Hall Learning Centre in Kingfisher on Saturday supported the programme as it involved the community.
“We want the people to take part in any project involving the community that is being carried out by City Hall in their area.
“This will not only give benefit to the mind, physical health but it also could reduce the cost of kitchen expenses when the crop could be harvested and shared among local communities.
“In addition, this community activity will increase interest of urban residents to farm through Urban Recreational Farming. This activity helps reduce the daily expenses from the collection of crops and introduces more effective resource management.
“It is a social activity that we have to take which designed to be implemented in other places to create a Healthy Recreation Centre for the city residents,” said Jainab.
She also announced an allocation of RM10,000 from her Ministry for the programme.
“I hope the urban community could benefit from the activities being undertaken in developing local communities,” she added.
Jainab also give support to the City Hall to cooperate so that such programme would be applied in other housing areas such as Indah Permai as suggested by the City Hall which will involve residents in the area to equally safeguard the environment and to cultivate.
Meanwhile, Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai said the programme was an activity leading to agricultural activities.
“In the future there are three biggest challenges which we would face namely housing, food production and clean water production.
He said the Farmville concept came from the Federal Government. Almost 95 per cent of the crops at the My Farmville @ Kingfisher could be eaten.
He also said that advice and assistance from the Community Development and Consumer Affairs Ministry is needed because such activity require the cooperation of the ministry to be developed among the community.
In the event, the City Hall and the Agriculture Ministry signed a memorandums of understanding at the event witnessed by Jainab and Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah who is also in charge of the DBKK.
Jainab hoped that through the MoU, both agencies will assist each other in identifying suitable areas within their respective administrative areas for Urban Recreational Farming.
Yeo said the agreement is a proof of close cooperation between the parties through the NBOS approach to empower the potential of economy development of the population and the environment in the city and at Taman Kingfisher as well.
He also said that through the MoU, they would discussed with the Agriculture Department and the Community Development and Consumer Affairs Ministry for another programme to supply three fruit trees to each house in every village in the city so that in the next four to five years the people could harvest the fruits.
Also present were State Agriculture Department director Idrus Shapie, City Hall Director-General Joannes Solidau, City Hall Deputy Director-General of Operations, Noorliza Awang Alip who is also the organising chairwoman of the My Farmville Open Day. – Jo Ann Mool
Source: Daily Express
