KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) intends to develop community gardens on federal land under the jurisdiction of the Department of Director-General of Lands and Mines (JKPTG).
Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the idea came about following positive feedback from the local community through the Sejahtera Komuniti MADANI (SejaTi MADANI) programme.
“Perhaps we can look into unutilised JKPTG or federal lands. For now, maybe we can explore options for creating gardens or other alternatives to provide a facility (for recreation) to the public.
“This is a much-needed initiative, especially in the Kuala Lumpur area, including the Setiawangsa Parliamentary seat, where most housing is stratified and there is no land to work on.”
He said this to Bernama after launching the Urban Garden Project and the Embun Emas Management Corporation Bookshop Project in Setiawangsa today.
Meanwhile, Nik Nazmi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Setiawangsa, said the SejaTi MADANI Programme is a bottom-up concept borne from community demand.
“We provide micro-funding that can have a direct impact. As a minister and elected representative of the people, I will help embed sustainability values in this garden (concept) to further develop it.
“Here in my parliamentary constituency, the programme has shown a very positive result, where we also have an urban garden in the Setapak Permai area. Apart from the residents, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), we also received cooperation from Maybank, which supports the development of such programmes,” he said.
The SejaTi MADANI programme is a new government initiative aimed at stimulating economic activities at the community level to increase income by providing funds between RM50,000 and RM100,000 to eligible communities.
