Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Center Director; Engr. Federic Inion, Rotary Club of Calamba President Elect; and Sr. Ma. Immaculate Ancog, Missionary Sisters of Our Lady Fatima Center Head for Bahay ni Maria, sign a tripartite agreement to design and establish an edible garden.
CALAMBA, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) signed a tripartite agreement with the Rotary Club of Calamba and Bahay ni Maria, a home for abandoned elderly and children with special needs in Calamba, Laguna, on 26 June 2024 to design and establish an edible garden.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA Center Director; Engr. Federic Inion, Rotary Club of Calamba President Elect; and Sr. Ma. Immaculate Ancog, Missionary Sisters of Our Lady Fatima Center Head for Bahay ni Maria.
The garden will be a sustainable source of fresh produce to meet the dietary needs of the Bahay ni Maria residents. It can also function as a venue for collaboration with other stakeholders and recreational activities.
The garden will contain a nursery greenhouse for seedlings and planting materials of various crops like lettuce and other high-value crops; a vertical or container garden utilizing recycled containers; an herbal garden as a source of medicinal plants for immediate aid against common injuries and illnesses; vegetable garden plots and fruit trees; and a composting area for kitchen scraps and garden wastes that will turn into organic fertilizer.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Gregorio emphasized the importance of gardening in promoting food and nutrition security. He also shared about SEARCA's School-plus-Home Garden Project in Laguna and its offshoot projects, which have expanded to Rizal Province and Palawan, as well as outside the country in neighboring Cambodia.
SEARCA also handed over gardening tools and planting materials, as well as food, to the Bahay ni Maria residents. Speaking on behalf of the home, Sr. Ancog thanked SEARCA and the Rotary Club of Calamba for being chosen as their partner beneficiary.
The Center donates tools and planting materials for the garden.
The Center extended its support to Bahay ni Maria as part of its community relations program led by its Partnerships Unit.