THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DepEd) has been conducting school-based feeding programs (SBFP) since 2010 as part of the government’s initiatives against malnutrition and the promotion of good health and proper nutrition to students. Through its regional offices, the DepEd identifies students nationwide who are malnourished. The DepEd’s SBFP budget is R15 per child for food and R1 per child for operational expenses, multiplied by 120 feeding days, adding up to about R1,920 per child.
Marcelo Dela Cruz, a farmer from Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, planted Jadeite bitter gourd for the first time as a trial with only a 50 plant population alongside his other regular crops, with help and monitoring by Known-You marketing technician Richard Ancheta. Dela Cruz grew the variety successfully, and the first fruits he harvested totaled 19 kilograms.
Dela Cruz brought the fruits of Jadeite with the produce from his other regular crops to his stall at the public market, and he was able to sell these easily. Amazed by the plant’s prolificacy, he has been harvesting fruits almost every day, even if the population of his plants is small.
Ancheta then asked if Dela Cruz would like to help the teachers of Cauringan Elementary School in Sison, Pangasinan by providing fresh fruits for the school’s feeding program, since Dela Cruz only sold his produce on weekends.
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Agriculture.
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This story is from the October 2017 edition of Agriculture.
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