The project aims to enhance the capacities of local farmers and fisherfolk, especially Aeta communities in Pampanga and Tarlac, through sustainable agriculture and ecotourism initiatives.
BCDA President and CEO Engr. Joshua M. Bingcang signed memoranda of agreement (MOAs) on Dec. 13, 2024, with DA Regional Executive Director Dr. Eduardo L. Lapuz and PSAU Vice President Dr. Lyndon G. Solis for the facility's establishment.
Under the MOAs, BCDA will allocate a 10-hectare site, while PSAU will oversee and manage the center’s activities through training programs. The DA has provided P4.8 million to enrich indigenous agricultural practices.
The AEBC is envisioned to become a model for food forests - a system in which edible, harvestable crops are produced in a multi-story setting - which can be replicated around the green areas of New Clark City.
The presence of an ethnobotanical learning facility in New Clark City also provides BCDA an opportunity to develop adjoining protected and forest reserve areas into an ecotourism spot. -- Ed: CSN
