2013 Volume 8 Issue 2 Pages 91-99
Edible landscaping (EL) in the Philippines is an innovative concept of combining various principles of landscape design with existing technologies for small-scale crop production. EL utilizes vegetables, herbs, and fruit crops as major softscape materials to substitute for the ornamental plants commonly used in conventional landscaping. It considers the aesthetics and functionality of space in relation to the production of safe and readily available crop products for the family and community.
EL involves various components such as softscape, hardscape, design, and crop production. The design part of EL is very flexible and can vary from one cropping period to another, depending on the planting scheme chosen. Edible crops can assume several landscape functions to create different attractions in each cropping season. The production side of EL follows recommended techniques for seedling establishment up to harvesting while some practices are modified to fit the chosen design. EL also promotes the use of organic pest management and recycling of available on-site resources—particularly those derived from plant residues—to enhance and maintain soil productivity.
Even though EL is focused on food availability at household level, it is also intended to increase interest in the utilization of endemic edible plants and greening of urban spaces to alleviate environmental problems. Moreover, surplus crop products can be marketed to generate additional income. Currently, EL is being intensively promoted in the Philippines and is open for further development to cater for a wider scope of crop production.
