School-based Food and Nutrition Program

MANILA, Philippines – Children in public schools nationwide will soon be given the opportunity to work their little plots of earth, when the Department of Education (DepEd) starts its program to combat malnutrition called “School-based Food and Nutrition Program,” with the slogan “Ating anihin masustansyang pagkain, tanim ng paaralan natin (Harvesting nutritious food in school gardens).” School children will be taught to set up vegetable gardens for tomato, carrot, eggplant, okra, cabbage, lettuce, string beans, kalamansi, and some herbs and root crops. DepEd is being assisted by the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and the UPLB-based Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.

Studies have shown that there are many children from poor families who go to school with empty stomachs, and that learning, physical and mental growth are severely affected when they are hungry. Malnutrition among children is an impairment brought about by inadequate or excess intake of food. Protein-energy malnutrition is the most common type in the Philippines due to inadequate intake of body-building and energy-giving foods like milk, fish, meat, oil, rice, vegetables and root crops. Infections like measles, whooping cough, infectious diarrhea, and tuberculosis are common illnesses leading to malnutrition.

The DepEd realizes that no matter how the government tries to address resource gaps, it may not be able to raise the standards of education in the country, if malnutrition concerns are not addressed.

Target beneficiaries are two-fold: The parents and the children. The program will serve as an incentive for parents to send their children to school knowing that they will gain access to nutritious food and also bring home food for household consumption. At the same time, the school children would learn the value of good nutrition.

Specifically, the program seeks to improve food diversity and availability to meet nutrition deficiencies and enhance community food security; to increase the relevance and quality of education through learning activities in food production and nutrition; and reduce food expenses, create savings, and provide an alternative income source for families to address poverty on a long-term basis. –Manila Bulletin