Capacitating Public Schools through Sustainable School Gardening Program in Talakag and Quezon, Bukidnon, Philippines

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic struck the world and various problems were faced such as food security, thus higher educational institutions like Central Mindanao University are pushed to respond. Central Mindanao University (CMU) in the Philippines initiated the establishment of a School gardening program in the public schools in Bukidnon. The school gardening program is a participatory activity with a collaborative effort between CMU, NOMCAARRD Consortium Member Institutions (CMI), and other stakeholders. This initiative of NOMCAARRD was established as an active response to the GALING-PCAARRD Kontra CoViD-19 program. The main objective of this program is to empower parents, students, and school teachers, through the transfer of selected S&T interventions to provide a source of food specially during the pandemic. This study aimed to capacitate students, parents, and school teachers, in Bukidnon; and determine the cost and return, particularly during the ongoing pandemic. A series of observations, Key Informant Interviews (KII), and focus group discussions were conducted among various stakeholders to implement the project, and Secondary data were utilized. The project was implemented among one Elementary school, and one Integrated School, in Bukidnon Philippines with Central Mindanao University (CMU) as the project's implementing agency. The project delivered a technology package (POT) covering "Pinakbet" vegetable production, mushroom production, and vermicomposting, to the participants. The implementation was fueled by market linkages, farm on-site and off-site consultation, farm capability building, partnership with the Local Government Units and private companies, and provision of farm inputs and materials. The implementation of this program is to encourage more students to engage in agricultural entrepreneurship in response to the declining trend in enrolment in agriculture courses in the Philippines. Data were gathered includes the participants’ year level, gender, and analyzes their costs and returns. The program also conducted training sessions covering various aspects of agriculture and business, ranging from farming techniques to organizational management. Keywords: Cost and Return Analysis, Trainings conducted, COVID 19, Bukidnon, Philippines