A Living Classroom: DOST-NCR Takes Urban Agriculture to Schools 

The DOST-NCR is taking its urban agriculture initiatives to Metro Manila’s schools, in the process giving the “living classroom” experience to kids in the K to 12 levels.  

Urban agriculture, more popularly known as gardening for millennials who graduated from public elementary schools, affords children the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at the process of how food moves from farm to table.   

The practice of urban agriculture in schools is not unique to developing countries. Many primary schools in Japan integrate the concept of “Shokuiku” or food education into the curriculum, with students growing vegetables that they later consume in the school lunches.  

The reason behind encouraging urban agriculture in schools goes beyond an appreciation for how plants grow. Case studies have shown that there is an increase in student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and the application of sustainable practices due to hands-on learning that shows the actual application of some scientific concepts. More importantly, the inclusion of urban farming in schools develops important social and emotional skills like assuming responsibility and ownership, camaraderie, and team spirit since it takes a group to manage and make a communal garden thrive.  

Along with communities, NCR-based schools have been among the first beneficiaries of DOST-NCR’s Gulayan sa Pamayanan Program, an urban gardening project with the DOST- Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD).  Among the early school beneficiaries were the Pasolo Elementary School in Barangay Pasolo, Valenzuela City, Pinagbuhatan Elementary School and Rizal High School in Pasig City, and the Claro M. Recto High School in Barangay 412, Sampaloc, Manila.   

At that time, the project distributed urban gardening materials and provided training on two technologies – Enriched Potting Preparation (EPP) and Simple Nutrient Addition Program (SNAP) Hydroponics. EPP is a technology that only requires recyclable soft drink bottles as vessel, a potting medium (coco coir and compost), and the compost soil extract (CSE), an organic fertilizer. The CSE provides nutrients to herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants, which can be planted using EPP.   

On the other hand, SNAP hydroponics uses recycled styrofoam boxes, styro cups, growing media composed of coco peat, carbonized rice hull, saw dust, and fine sand, and the SNAP A and B nutrient solutions which provide nutrients to the plants.   

By: Pinky Marcelo, SCCU