From Garden to Table: Growing Values and Vegetables in School

The Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) is a government initiative in the Philippines, implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other stakeholders.

It aims to establish and maintain school gardens in public elementary and secondary schools to promote food security and nutrition, educate students about agriculture, instill discipline and cooperation, and support the development of livelihood skills.

As the GP Program coordinator in our school, it has always been my responsibility to ensure that the goals of GPP are well-implemented and sustained throughout the school year, which I have done for the past 10 years. The DepEd conducts evaluations per school year to make sure that the program is sustainable.

The first harvests of vegetables are intended for the school-based feeding. This is to motivate students to make their plants grow healthy, free from diseases, using an organic way of farming. Making sure their plants bear many fruits through proper care and maintenance of their assigned plots, and to give them the first-hand experience of cooking and eating their own produce.

They were overjoyed and excited when I told them to have their first harvest of vegetables. They planted these varieties of vegetables two months ago. They have a big plot of Okra (lady's fingers), Malabar spinach (alugbati), water spinach (Kangkong), eggplants, green tomatoes, spring onions, bell peppers, and string beans, which we planned to cook as stir-fried vegetables.

After they harvested the vegetables, they prepared and cleaned their harvest, getting ready for their cooking. They were very excited as I was instructing them to cook the vegetables the way they wanted them. They brought firewood, ingredients, and cooking tools. Everybody brought the things that was assigned to them by their group leaders.

They helped each other prepare their vegetable dishes, and their teamwork was very much appreciated. They looked very happy while they prepare their food. They cooked stir-fried veggies as planned, and they also prepared crunchy water spinach, and the green tomato salad was the best. I was drooling while watching them prepare it. It was chilli hot, crunchy, with salted fish and spicy vinegar. That was delicious.

They served their dishes to their classmates, and also served us, their teachers. We ate lunch together with their healthy and fresh vegetable menus. The taste is always different when it is fresh from the garden, right onto the table. Their first spoon of vegetable dish told them that, what they sow is what they reap and in gardening their is food, sustainability and no hunger. I was just thankful enough because everybody was eating their veggies.

Gulayan sa Paaralan Program is more than just planting vegetables. It is about planting values, skills, and hope in every learner. Through teamwork, responsibility, and the joy of harvesting their own food, students not only learn the importance of good nutrition and sustainability but also discover the rewarding experience of reaping what they sow.

A school garden is a classroom without walls, where lessons grow alongside the vegetables.