Exploring Quezon City’s Food System: A Virtual Video Tour of Food Markets, Urban Agriculture and Sustainability

By Arma Bertuso and Gordon Prain

Quezon City, one of the bustling metropolises of the Philippines, is famous for its dynamic urban landscape, thriving businesses, and cultural landmarks. But beneath the surface of this classic city skyline lies a complex, vibrant food system that feeds the millions of residents daily.  A new and captivating virtual video tour – “Follow the Gulay” has opened a window into this complex food ecosystem, offering viewers a deeper understanding of how food flows through the city. This immersive experience is a visual journey, blending stunning aerial shots with insightful interviews, guiding us through the various layers of food production, distribution, and consumption – revealing the interconnectedness of its various components and the pivotal role each player has in maintaining a steady food supply.

The Journey of Vegetables: From Farms to City Markets

The video opens with an aerial view of Quezon City, bustling with activity and life. As we zoom in, the scene transitions to the wholesale trading markets, where a diverse range of vendors receive supplies of fresh vegetables from nearby and distant farms, and are actively selling them to local traders. Through interviews with market stall owners, we learn about the logistics of moving food from farm to city. It’s a process that involves trucks, tricycles, and countless individuals, all working in tandem to ensure that fresh produce reaches consumers as quickly as possible.

The tour highlights the significant role of food market vendors and hawkers in ensuring that fresh and nutritious vegetables are accessible to the consumers in the city. It also showcases how urban agriculture thrives in the city by community gardeners, planting vegetables in local spaces to ensure their own produce and help feed their neighbors. These urban agriculture initiatives continue to play an important role in providing access to fresh, healthy food for city residents. The video underscores how these local market vendors and gardeners not only provide sustenance but also contribute to the broader goal of food security, particularly in densely populated urban areas.

Behind the Scenes of the Food Supply Chain

The virtual tour then offers a behind-the-scenes look at the food supply chain, focusing on the logistical elements of food transport. From the moment vegetables from nearby and distant farms  are unloaded from trucks, it undergoes a delicate and efficient transition. Tricycles and smaller vehicles transport vegetables to neighborhood stalls and street vendors, bringing daily fresh food directly to consumers’ doorsteps. This segment of the video illustrates the intricate operations that keep the city fed, showing the often-overlooked challenges faced by those in the transportation and food retail sectors.

The video also shines a light on the often-ignored issue of food waste. While the market thrives with fresh goods, waste management remains a critical concern. The video delves into the steps taken by Quezon City government to address food waste, from composting efforts to rethinking food disposal. Interviews with experts reveal the ongoing challenges and innovative solutions that are being explored to minimize waste and promote sustainability within Quezon City’s food system.

A Glimpse into the Lives of Food Vendors and Producers

What makes this virtual tour truly eye-opening are the interviews with the real-life individuals who make the food system function. The vendors who run market and street stalls, selling vegetables and fresh produce, provide an intimate glimpse into the realities of their work. Some have been part of the food system for decades, while others are newcomers hoping to carve out a niche in the highly competitive market.

The video completes the cycle of the urban food system through its focus on the smaller, quieter but also important phenomenon of the urban vegetable gardens. These plots, though often small and modest, also contribute to the overall sustainability of the city. Through insightful interviews with food producers and city officials, the video paints a picture of how these locally grown foods help communities, both through direct consumption and by being shared among neighbors. This segment highlights how these gardens help in addressing food security while fostering community resilience

Expert Insights and Policy Implications

As the video continues, it dives deeper into the complexities of Quezon City’s food system through interviews with food producers, city officials, and experts from various fields. Their insights provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the system. One key takeaway is the need for stronger policy support for food production and food marketing in urban areas. The city’s food system, though resilient, faces ongoing challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, and the need for more sustainable practices.

This virtual tour also emphasizes the importance of collaboration between government agencies, international organizations, and local communities. The video was prepared prepared by the CGIAR Resilient Cities Initiative, which is implemented by three different International Agri-food Research Centers in the Philippines (the International Potato Center – CIP, the International Livestock Research Institute – ILRI,  and the International Rice Research Institute – IRRI. Together with local research and development partners, they work alongside the Quezon City Government to strengthen food systems, enhance sustainability, and improve food security for the city’s residents.

An Eye-Opening Experience for All

For viewers, the virtual tour is not only an eye-opening experience but also an invitation to reflect on the complexities of urban food systems. As the video reveals, every meal in Quezon City is the result of a dynamic network of food producers, vendors, transporters, and consumers—each contributing to the broader tapestry of urban food security. The tour underscores the importance of supporting local food initiatives, reducing food waste, and strengthening policies that promote sustainable food production and marketing.

Ultimately, this virtual tour serves as a reminder of the critical role that local food systems play in building resilient cities. It highlights the interconnectedness of urban life and the food we consume and challenges us to think more deeply about the ways in which cities can support sustainable, equitable, and food-secure futures.

In conclusion, this virtual tour of Quezon City’s food system offers much more than a glimpse into its daily operations. It is a celebration of resilience, community, and sustainability, encouraging all of us to recognize the vital role that food systems play in shaping our urban environments.

You can watch the video “Follow the Gulay: A virtual tour of the Quezon City food system” at CGIAR Youtube Channel.

About the Organizers 

CGIAR Resilient Cities initiative: The CGIAR Resilient Cities research initiative is an international urban agri-food system research network that seeks to harness the dynamism of urban societies and economies to catalyze technological, institutional, and social change. By enabling agrifood system innovations and investment strategies for inclusive job and business opportunities, the Initiative aims to ensure access to healthier diets for all, safeguard human health, and minimize environmental risks. The initiative generates evidence, technologies, and capacities that help improve urban food systems and secure equitable job and business opportunities, healthy diets for all, human and environmental health, and a reduced carbon footprint.  The Initiative is primarily working in cities of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Peru and the Philippines. Resilient Cities is being implemented by five CGIAR Centers – CIP (lead), IFPRI, IITA, IRRI, IWMI – as well as R&D

partners World Vegetable Center and RUAF.

Quezon City Local Government Unit (QC-LGU): The Quezon City Local Government has been actively pursuing initiatives to improve food systems, enhance urban food production, and address the challenges of food security and economic development in the city. The QC Food Security Task Force, through the “Grow QC— Kasama ka sa Pag-unlad sa Pagkain, Kabuhayan, at Kalusugan Food Security Program,” has been at the forefront of these efforts. In 2022, the QC-LGU signed the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) binding the city’s commitment to further the work on food systems improvement and development and leverage the partnership to tap the best practices on food security and food systems from nations and their cities who signed the pact. 

Photo credits:  Arma Bertuso