FIFTY school principals and teachers completed a two-day training on vegetable production management conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), through the High-Value Crops Development Program, in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.
Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director Ran Donn Cedeño said the training, which was held from Tuesday, December 8 until Wednesday, December 9, emphasized the use of natural farming technology systems in producing cost-effective and safe fertilizers for the school gardens.
Cedeño said the concoction of fermented plant juice using vegetable mash and molasses was given a hands-on demonstration by the experts, along with lectures on school garden establishment, seed management, vegetable production management, and harvest and post-harvest management.
The production and application of fertilizers in growing vegetables are crucial since the vegetable harvested in school gardens are also fed to pupils in their school feeding programs.
Cedeño encouraged the teachers, who maintain the school gardens, to continue its implementation especially in this time of health pandemic.
The DA official noted the school gardens are sources of food, not only for feeding the children and the community but can also become a source of income.
The participants were provided with garden tools and some vegetable seeds at the end of the two-day training. (VoxPop Zamboanga)