Training of Trainers on Scaling up the School-Plus-Home Gardens Model in Southeast Asia: Narrative Report

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), together with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Laguna, and three of its sister regional centers under the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), organized the “Training of Trainers on Scaling Up the School-plus-home Gardens Model in Southeast Asia” on 18-21 April 2018 at the SEARCA Headquarters, in line with efforts toward sustaining and building on the successes of and lessons learned from the School and Home Gardens Project (SHGP).

Held back-to-back with the International Conference on School Gardens, which gathered 130 international participants at SEARCA Headquarters on 16-17 April 2018, the Training of Trainers aimed to serve as a platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and success stories that shall contribute to a sustained and scaled-up implementation of S+HGP in SEAMEO member-states. A total of 26 school heads, principals, and teachers; representatives from provincial or district education ministries; participants from IIRR; and SEAMEO center representatives attended the four-day training. After the training, participants shall serve as the primary driving force in replicating viable garden models in their respective localities or countries.

The training was designed as a walk-through where participants could learn the basics of the SEARCA school plus-home garden model, with focus on the step-by-step process of establishing locally-appropriate models, putting appropriate regard on the unique context of the schools and communities where the project is to be implemented.