Veggie gardens in ARMM schools pushed

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) and the executive branch of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) started implementing on Tuesday a joint food sufficiency program in public schools in Maguindanao.

Makmod Mending, Jr., ARMM’s regional agriculture secretary, said the program, 'Gulayan sa mga Paaralan sa Probinsiya ng Maguindanao,' also involves the office of the region’s education secretary, Jamar Kulayan.

“This project aims to address the problem of malnutrition among children in different towns in Maguindanao,” Mending said.

Mending said ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman and a representative of the WFP’s office in Mindanao, Arland Bernido, signed last week a memorandum of understanding outlining the details of the project, to be implemented in 108 selected schools in Maguindanao.

Mending and Kulayan also signed on the document.

Mending said employees of the ARMM’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Department of Education are now coordinating with the 108 schools, imparting on teachers and principals the modalities of the project.

Mending said the DAF-ARMM has started providing the beneficiary schools with vegetables seeds, gardening tools and other farm implements needed in putting up gardens inside campuses.   

The WFP, which has been operating in Maguindanao for several years now, will supply rice to families of school children in the 108 public schools.

Mending said his office had released the garden tools intended for the 108 schools through the two schools division offices in Maguindanao.