City of Koronadal, South Cotabato-Behind concrete walls, a green revolution is offering Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) at the South Cotabato Rehabilitation and Detention Center (SCRDC) a path toward social reintegration, food security, and dignified self-reliance.
Through a partnership between the SCRDC management and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg), inmates are turning idle jail yard spaces into productive, eco-friendly farms—gaining practical agricultural skills designed to prevent recidivism and secure steady income upon their return to society.
Provincial Jail Warden Ret. PLTCOL. Barney P. Condes said the sustainable farming program could provide significant benefits to PDLs, particularly by equipping them with practical agricultural knowledge and skills that they can apply both inside and outside the facility.
“This program is not only intended to produce vegetables and other agricultural products sa loob ng detention center but also to contribute to the rehabilitation and development of the PDLs, sa pamamagitan ng produktibo at maka hulogang mga aktibidad.” Condes said
The initiative aims to maximize the available spaces within the detention facility while providing PDLs with additional knowledge and hands-on experience in agriculture that they can potentially use as a source of livelihood after their release.
He emphasized that learning agricultural techniques can give PDLs additional livelihood options and help them develop skills that may become useful when they eventually return to their families and communities.
To maximize limited space, OPAg experts conducted hands-on training seminars focusing on urban agriculture, square-foot gardening, vegetable production, and vermicomposting. The techniques teach inmates how to yield high vegetable harvests from small plots of land—a model easily replicable in household backyards post-release.
Beyond crop production, the initiative introduces circular waste management to the facility. Instead of generating food waste problems, organic remnants from the facility’s kitchen will be converted into natural fertilizer through an upcoming on-site vermicomposting facility.
Agriculturist II Ronald D. Pacol underscored how resourcefulness turns physical constraints into economic opportunities for the inmates.
“Sa pamamagitan ng urban gardening at square-foot gardening, kahit maliit na portions ng lupa pweding e utilized para sa pag tatanim ng mga gulay. Ang pamamaraang ito ay angkop sa pasilidad tulad ng SCRDC kong saan ang available na lupang pag tataniman ay limitado pero magiging produktibo.” Pacol said
Instead of allowing organic waste to accumulate and become a disposal problem, the materials can be processed and transformed into natural fertilizer that can be used in vegetable gardens.
“This approach could help the facility maximize its resources by turning organic waste into something beneficial for agricultural production,” Pacol added.
The SCRDC management is now targeting the establishment of a vermicompost facility within the detention center, with technical assistance from the OPAg.
Once established, the vermicompost facility could provide a continuous supply of organic fertilizer for the gardens and vegetable-growing activities of the SCRDC.
With basic knowledge in vegetable production, urban gardening, square-foot gardening, and vermicomposting, PDLs may be able to apply these skills in backyard farming or other small-scale agricultural activities once they return to their communities.
