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School officials and teachers integrate organic agriculture, nutrition, and climate change concepts in elementary and high school curricula

  • 16 May 2016

Participants of the writeshop with the SEARCA-UPLB Project Management Team

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines – After a series of seminars and workshops conducted by the Project Management Team (PMT) of the Participatory Action Research on School- and Community-based Food and Nutrition Program for Literacy, Poverty Reduction, and Sustainable Development, a total of 36 heads and teachers from the six participating schools of the Department of Education- Laguna Division convened for the Writeshop on Integrating Agriculture, Nutrition, and Climate Change Concepts in Elementary and High School Curricula. The writeshop was conducted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 12-13 May 2016. It was participated in by Grades 4 and 7 teachers for Mathematics, English, Science Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP), and Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE).

The school teachers integrated the concepts of organic agriculture, nutrition, and climate change in the lesson plans of the above-mentioned subjects under the current Department of Education (DepEd) curriculum for Grades 4 and 7.

On the first day of the writeshop, an overview of climate change implications for nutrition was discussed by Dr. Maria M. Talavera, Associate Professor 6 of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food, College of Human Ecology, UPLB. Through the facilitation of the Project Leader, Dr. Blesilda Calub, the participants reviewed the concepts of organic agriculture and nutrition, which were covered in the past project seminars and workshops. In integrating these concepts in the lesson plans, the teachers were grouped according to their assigned subjects. The writeshop concluded with the teachers sharing their enhanced lesson plans through a “demo teaching” method.

Participants at the crop museum of IIRR, Silang, Cavite with Ms. Irish Baguilat

As part of the learning event, the participants visited the crop museum of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in Silang, Cavite on 13 May 2016. Ms. Irish P. Baguilat, IIRR’s Program Manager for Food and Nutrition Security, discussed IIRR’s School Nutrition Program, which is being implemented in the province of Cavite, and gave a lecture on bio-intensive gardening techniques.

The PMT and the participants agreed on an action plan that outlines the activities and timeline to complete the preparation of the target number of enhanced lesson plans, and to facilitate their processing and endorsement to the DepEd. The teachers are aiming to pilot the enhanced lesson plans/manuals during the start of classes in June 2016.

The writeshop was facilitated by the PMT headed by Dr. Blesilda Calub of UPLB; Mr. Lamberto Perolina of the DepEd Laguna; and the principals of the participating schools. (Anna Gale Vallez)