Mariano Marcos
State University

Site validation prepare Batac elem schools for biointensive gardening

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and Rotary Club of Laoag Sunshine have reached the next phase of their collaborative extension partnership, “Gender-Responsive and Culture-based Bio-intensive Gardening Program,” following the successful site validations across four partner elementary schools in the City of Batac on September 10 and 18.

The beneficiary schools included Mariano Marcos Memorial, Quiling, Hilario Valdez Memorial, and Tabug Elementary Schools. Each school was visited by a technical team from various units in the university, looking at topography, sun and shade exposure, water sources, and soil conditions.

The validation team was composed of Dr. Arnel Felipe, Mr. John Marlo Bangayan of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development; Engr. Roxanne Joy Antonio and Engr. Stephenleigh Guittap of the College of Engineering; and Mr. Meynard Saclayan of the Extension Directorate.

With the information gathered from the validations, the technical team now finalizes the customized farm layouts and targeted crop recommendations suitable for each campus.

The on-site validations build upon the official launch of the school-based vegetable production program on August 21 that was followed by a corporate social responsibility contribution from Bakers PH, which provided recycled containers for vegetable planting across all partner campuses.

Other key partners in establishing and sustaining the school gardens include the city government of Batac, the DepEd Schools Division of Batac, the Department of Agriculture - Ilocos Norte Research and Experiment Center, and the Provincial Agriculture Office.

As a significant step toward a robust, school-based vegetable production program, this initiative aims to transform campuses into hands-on learning sites for nutrition, food security, and student enterprise.

Currently, the project’s expansion to other local government units is also underway. On September 28, representatives from Solsona Central, Santiago, and Maananteng Elementary Schools in Solsona underwent orientation to be included as beneficiaries of the project. (𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘦𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯)