MANILA - San Miguel Corporation said its urban farm, located in its head office complex in Ortigas Center, Pasig City now grows 39 varieties of vegetables and flowering plants.

Dubbed 'Backyard Bukid,' the urban farm was set up in 2021 to assist SMC's service personnel during the pandemic."The space now includes a plant nursery, 80 garden plots, and also functions as a center for employee wellness, volunteerism, and training," San Miguel said.

San Miguel Corp's 'Backyard Bukid' urban farm, located in its head pffice complex in Ortigas Center, grows a variety of vegetables and flowering plants. Handout

San Miguel Corp's 'Backyard Bukid' urban farm, located in its head pffice complex in Ortigas Center, grows a variety of vegetables and flowering plants. Handout

San Miguel Corp's 'Backyard Bukid' urban farm, located in its head pffice complex in Ortigas Center, grows a variety of vegetables and flowering plants. Handout

The project has been replicated in several other SMC facilities by the San Miguel Foundation, through a partnership with Urban Farmers PH, the company said.

The urban farm now produces tomato, okra, ampalaya, kale, romaine lettuce and other salad greens with a harvest cycle of 20 to 35 days.

"Once the produce is harvested, it is distributed among members who then sell it to employees," the company said.

SMC also buys some of the produce and donates this to its Better World Tondo community center for its daily feeding program.

San Miguel said it also has plans to buy the vegetables for the office canteen.

• 'Nabago buhay ko’: In QC, this dumpsite-turned-urban farm springs happiness, hope to PWDs
• A vegetable farm grows in the heart of Bonifacio Global City
• Urban farming pushed to address food production issues