THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca), Department of Education-Division of Laguna (DepEd Laguna), and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) officially launched a garden-based education and nutrition project targeting malnourished children in five elementary schools and one high school in Laguna.
Searca, the DepEd Laguna and UPLB signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on July 22 to institutionalize cooperation in the implementation of the project titled “A Participatory Action Research on School- and Community-based Food and Nutrition Program for Literacy, Poverty Reduction, and Sustainable Development.”
The project, which started in January, generally aims to improve the nutritional condition and dietary habits of school-aged children and contribute to the community’s food and nutrition security. School and home gardens are being promoted as learning sites and source of nutritious food and savings or income for the school children, their families and the participating schools.
In his message, Searca Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr., highlighted the importance of school gardens to meet the nutritional needs of schoolchildren; heighten appreciation for agriculture among the youth; protect the environment; and serve as “an alternative source of food and income for rural families to address the looming problems of rural poverty and hunger, which prevent access of many schoolchildren to quality education.”
UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez Jr. acknowledged the significance of the school and home gardens project in translating UPLB’s commitment “to reach out to the Filipino people through knowledge and technology sharing.”
Sanchez said participating schools and communities will “greatly benefit” from the technical training and information on edible landscaping, nutrition and organic agriculture that the UPLB staff will share with them.
On behalf of Dr. Josilyn S. Solana, the schools division superintendent of Laguna; Dr. Neil G. Angeles, assistant schools division superintendent; and Dr. Orlando T. Valverde, the Curriculum Implementation division chief, cited their strong support to the project, considering that it aligns well with the Gulayan sa Paaralan advocacy of the DepEd.
They expressed their appreciation to Searca and UPLB for the opportunity to better equip select teachers in training students, other teachers and the community on the best practices in small-scale gardening, organic agriculture and innovative gardening techniques
and methods.
After the MOA signing, those present visited the Majayjay Elementary School organic garden, which includes the Searca-supported school garden—a 100-square-meter area with a small greenhouse equipped with rainwater collection system that serves as
seedling nursery.
The garden has been planted with different vegetable crops based on the school garden design and plan prepared in April during the Seminar-Workshop on School Garden Planning.
The garden produce will be used in the School-based Feeding Program of the DepEd.
The event was coorganized by Majayjay Elementary School, headed by Principal Myrna G. Dorado and Magdalena-Majayjay District Supervisor Flora G. Rondilla.
The principals and teachers of the participating schools witnessed the formalization of ties among partner-institutions. Other attendees included officials and staff of Searca, UPLB, the DepEd Laguna, local government of Majayjay and the provincial government of Laguna. Mayor Carlo Invinzor Clado of Majayjay formally closed the program.