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SECTION 1. Basic Policy - Consistent with the goal of the Department of Agriculture to attain food self-reliance and self sufficiency, it is the policy of the state to empower its constituency by enhancing their capability to produce their own food through adoption of various means of vegetable growing.

SECTION 2. Objectives

General:

- Promote self help food production activities and values (appreciation of agriculture as a life support system) among children.

Specific:

- Promote vegetable production through natural farming in public elementary and high schools;
- Establish/maintain school gardens to serve as food basket/main source of
vegetables to sustain supplementary feeding;
- Showcase small-scale food production model in schools for the households/communities to replicate, purposely to promote family food security;

SECTION 3. Duration, Scope and Coverage - The Program shall commence in school year 2011.

Target Province - 26/year
Total targeted province- 78
Target No. of schools plus NCR per year (8,415/year)
Total Target No. of Schools - 42, 076

- It shall cover all public elementary and high schools in 16 regions and National Capital Region;
- The program is aimed to establish 42,076 school gardens all over the country by 2016.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms - The Department of Agriculture (DA) shall spearhead the implementation of Gulayan sa Paaralan. The DA shall include in its 16 Regional Field Units, the Agricultural Training Institute and its Regional Offices, the Bureau of Plant Industry and its Five (5) National Crop Research and Development Centers as well as its Regional and Satellite Seed Quality Laboratories, and the Bureau of Soil and Water Management

Other stakeholders that are mentioned in this guideline shall include Department of Interior and Local Government up to Barangay Councils, Department of Education and its Regional/Provincial/District and Municipal Offices, the Department of Health - National Nutrition Council and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Private/Peoples Organization shall include Cooperatives, Parent Teachers Associations, 4H Club, youth and senior citizens organizations and others.

SECTION 5. Strategies of Implementation

1. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among concerned National Agencies shall be signed by each Department Secretaries to commence the implementation of the Program.

2. Creation of Agri Pinoy Implementing Team in the Region/Province/Municipal to conduct the following activities

A. Masterlisting

Master lists should indicate the name of schools, addresses, population, preferred vegetables to be planted, focal persons, and other pertinent information and shall be submitted by the DepEd to DA-RFUs.

B. Social Preparation

Social preparation and value formation shall be conducted by identified focal person of Agri Pinoy Implementing Team. All focal persons and others that will be involved in the program shall undergo social preparation

C. Training

LGUs in partnership with DA-RFUs/ATI and NGOs/POs shall coordinate with DepEd in the conduct of trainings. The trainings shall cover topics on growing vegetables, organic fertilizer production, pest and disease management, home saved seed production, container/backyard gardening and others;

D.  Establishment of school gardens

Initially, the DA-RFUs will provide inputs to schools in coordination with the DepEd. This will include assorted seeds of preferred vegetables (Open Pollinated Varieties), and a ‘how to grow’ instructions. Planting materials of indigenous vegetables and rootcrops shall also be provided. Rootcrops such as sweet potatoes, cassava and others will also be provided.

- Distribution of seeds will be coursed by the DA-RFUs to the DepEd Regional Offices

3. To sustain the program and to generate enthusiasms and interest, a competition on best school gardens will be launched by district as defined by the DepEd.

4. Congressional Partnership will be pursued and as such incentives (school buildings, computers, water systems, garden tool and implements, and etc.,) for the Best School Gardens will be solicited from legislators/representative of districts/cities.

5. Quality seeds and plant materials will be sourced from government/DA stations. Other materials not availble in government facilities will be procured from members of PhilSeed Industry Association (PSIA).

6. LGU technicians shall provide technical assistance especially in raising the vegetables and regularly monitor school gardens;

7. Sustainability scheme shall be adopted and prepared to ensure that initial efforts are sustained in the local levels.

8. Partnership with Peoples Organizations, NGOs, Churches and Youth Groups will be encouraged.

SECTION 6. Qualifications of Participating Schools -

1. Each school shall have at least a minimum of two hundred square meters (200 square meter) vacant lot for use as school garden. For school that does not have vacant lot, they can work on or adopt container gardening technology;

2. The school shall be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of school gardens as well as the production of seeds for the next cropping;

3. School should assign focal person willing to supervise the program.

4. Mainstream in the programs and activities of DepEd

5. Parent Teachers Associations should actively partner with the school in the establishment and maintenance of school gardens.

6. All harvest will be owned by school and maybe sold and/or used for its supplementary feeding program;

SECTION 7. Information Dissemination and Advocacy Campaign

1. DA/ATI and DepEd in coordination with NNC shall take the lead in the promotion of the program.

2. Quad-Media shall be used to promote the program.

3. Participation of private sector (Nestle, Globe, Smart and etc.) and Peoples Organizations/NGOs shall be encouraged in promoting vegetable production and consumption.

SECTION 8. Monitoring and Evaluation

1. The Regional/Provincial/Municipal Agri Pinoy TWG in partnership with other stakeholders shall do the regular visitations and follow ups in order to determine the status of the project and to recommend strategies that would further enhance smooth implementation of the project.

2. The DA-RFUs/ATI shall do the consolidation of reports and conduct Program Implementation Review and Evaluation;

3. Regional Reports should be submitted to the Chair of the Agri-Pinoy Task Force;

4. Success stories shall be documented by the Regional Implementing Team;

SECTION 9. Key Players and Stakeholders - The following are the roles and responsibilities of key players and stakeholders.

A. Responsible Agencies

1. Department of Agriculture

- Co-implements the program with the DepEd;
- Source the initial budgetary requirement;
- The DA Regional Field Units shall provide initial agricultural inputs and technical assistance;
- DA-RFUs with ATI shall facilitate and conduct trainings.
- The DA-Agriculture and Fishery Information Services shall assist in information dissemination campaign of the program.
- Assist in the advocacy campaign in increasing vegetable production and consumption

2. Department of Education

- Shall lead in the implementation of the program in coordination with the DA-RFUs, DILG, DOH and DSWD;
- Promotes consumption of vegetables among children;
- Provide areas for the establishment of schoold gardens;
- Sustain the program by providing resources;
- Mainstream the budgetary requirements in their development plans for the ensuing years to ensure regular budget allocation.

3. Local Government Units -  co-partner in the implementation and monitoring of program

Provide assistance and resources in the implementation of the program

4. Congressional Representatives/ Governors

Co-partner in the implementation of the program and provide incentives

Provide assistance and resources (prizes, cash incentives and other support) in the implementation of the program

5. Other Program Partners:

- The DOH-NNC or the local nutrition officer shall assist in the advocacy campaign on the reduction of hunger and malnutrition;
- NGOs - assist in the implementation and monitoring of the program;
- Media - assist in the promotion and advocacy component of the program
- Other National Agencies that may be involved in the succeeding years of the program

SECTION 10. Separability Clause - If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) shall be deemed invalid, it shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof.

SECTION 11. Effectivity - This Order shall take effect immediately.


Adopted: 03 January 2011


(SGD.) PROCESO J. ALCALA
Secretary