Program aims to improve nutritional
status of school beneficiaries
In support of the Gulayan Program of
the Provincial Government of Bulacan and the Department of Education (DepEd) in
Central Luzon, Monsanto Philippines and Tabon Elementary School recently opened
the Gulayan sa Paaralan at the campus
of the said school in Pulilan, Bulacan, Monsanto provided over a thousand
vegetable seedlings to address short-term hunger and make balanced meal more
accessible among public school children.
The Gulayan sa Paaralan Program is a national effort of DepEd
that directs
public schools to set up and maintain a school vegetable garden as a source of
ingredients for the school-based feeding
program (SBFP), which further aims to improve the nutritional status of the
beneficiaries by at least 70% at the end of 120 feeding days.
In support of the
Program, employees of Monsanto Philippines in Pulilan led the turnover of approximately 1,800 transplant-ready vegetable seedlings. Thirty
pieces of trash bins were also given to the school to improve the waste
management and segregation program of the school. Monsanto Plant Manager
Maricris Palarca said that Monsanto hopes that through this effort they’ll encourage families of
students to have their own home gardens so that nutritional improvement is
carried beyond school.
“Every
child deserves a balanced and nutritious plate. As
an agriculture company, we support every initiative that enhances the
nutritional status of public school children by providing healthy plant variants
that contain valuable vitamins and nutrients that children need. We are pleased
to be a significant partner of the DepEd to forward its Gulayan sa Paaralan and
School-based Feeding Program,” Palarca shared during activity.
Meantime, to further spur public awareness and action on malnutrition,
the company also conducted a special digital storytelling of the animated
children’s book Lina’s Town Rises Again, a story of a female farmer from
Sultan Kudarat who helped her town successfully recover from a devastating
typhoon through the use of modern and sustainable farming methodsPelarca added
that the story-telling activity aims to encourage young people to give more
importance on how food is grown and consumed.
The school teachers were grateful to Monsanto Philippines for selecting
Tabon Elementary School as a beneficiary of its community program. They were
empowered by Monsanto’s supportto improve classroom attendance, children’s
health, as well as nutritional values and behavior of students.
About Monsanto Philippines
Monsanto Philippines is a local
unit of Monsanto, a Fortune 500 global power company with a diverse portfolio
of advanced biotechnology products produced in 404 facilities in 66 countries.
To date, Monsanto Philippines has four facilities spread out across the
country, which includes its head office in Alabang, a Refuge-in-a-Bag (RIB)
Plant and cold warehouse located in Bulacan, and an R&D station in
Mindanao. The company also has partnerships with the Philippine government
through the Department of Agriculture as well as the local scientific and
academic communities in the promotion of modern agricultural biotechnology. To
learn more, please visit www.monsanto.ph.
About Monsanto
Monsanto is committed to bringing
a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds
for fruits, vegetables and key crops – such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, canola,
and cotton – that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other
important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for
soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve
natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from
pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with
farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help
tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.
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