14 November 2016, Sta. Rita, Pampanga. Adopting the Bio-Intensive Garden (BIG) standard developed by the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), the Entire Car Care Centre, Inc. / Excellent Marketing* company together with FEED co-sponsored the first BIG garden Training of Trainers (ToT) with 5 teachers, 5 parents & 5 students, including the Principal of San Basilio Public Elementary School, in Sta. Rita, Pampanga.
IIRR’s BIG approach for schools in the Philippines has also been adopted in Cambodia and South Sudan. The standard contains gardening principles and practices to enable schools to sustain their gardens and strengthen their links with school feeding programs. IIRR works closely with the Department of Education in the province of Cavite, Philippines, spreading the practice to 373 public elementary schools and 36 day care centers in the province.
Thanks to the 46 leaders, employees and volunteers from the Entire Car Care Centre, Inc./Excellent Marketing team, BIG was adopted by San Basilio Elementary School to complete the ToT and site preparation held on November 12th – in preparation for the actual planting which took place on the 13f of November with Entire Car Care Centre/Excellent Marketing team. The ToT enables those trained to be in a position to guide other public school leaders in Pampanga to receive technical support and sustained guidance in tackling malnutrition through BIG initiatives.
The San Basilio Elementary School was the targeted beneficiary upon recommendation of the District Supervisor, Dr. Lolita Molina – winner of the “Outstanding Public School District Supervisor” (lone winner for the category) in the “Aldo Ding Talaturu” 2014 Division Search for Outstanding District Supervisors, School Heads and Teachers, dubbed as “Istoryang Tagumpe Mu Inspirasyun at Tula Kareng Aliwa” (Filipino/Tagalog: Your Successful History Serves as an Inspiration for Happiness to Others”).
Special Thanks
Thanks to the effective intervention of FEED’s VP, Operations Diane Penales, FEED thanks Dra. Lolita Molina, District Supervisor; and Principal Leila Dizon of San Basilio Elementary School for enabling the BIG training to take place:
San Basilio Elementary School Teachers:
1. Jenny M. Salalila
2. Elisa L. Laus
3. Lorivic G. Garcia
4. Norma L. Santos
5. ALberto F. David Jr
San Basilio Elementary School Parents:
1. Seferino V. Salalila Jr.
2. Alberto V. Galvez
3. Erlinda C. batac
4. Lorna R. Batac
5. Lorna N. manalang
6. Nancy I. Aduca
PHOTO TOUR: November 12th Training of Trainers (& Site Preparation) @San Basilio Elementary School
PHOTO TOUR: November 13th Planting/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Event with Entire Car Care Centre, Inc./Excellent Marketing
THANK YOU to the Entire Car Care Centre, Inc./Excellent Marketing Participants!
| Abala, Vicente | Delos Santos, Riche |
| Adop, Franklin | Felicio, Joven |
| Balaho, Jimmy | Felicio, Myrna |
| Cruz, Jeralyn | Fortaleza, Rodelio |
| Fuentes, Evezel | Galabay, Jonalyn |
| Lagura, Babylito | Garcia, Anna Liza |
| Ramos, Rowena | Gimeno, Jimmy |
| Sim, Maria Jeneffer | Monje, Arthur |
| Taer, Nelson | Monje, Elosil |
| Tubig, Precilla | Monje, Yves Jay |
| Tubig, Rico | Neri, Fidel |
| Wong, Jennifer | Panis, Harry James |
| Baliscot, Jonnel | Ramones, Jocelyn |
| Fernandez, Imelda | Rosal, Richard |
| Ang, Caroline | Sabalbarino, Estrelito |
| Agustin, Roma | Samillano, Danny |
| Tusi, Charlene Anne | Soriano, Geron |
| Sales, Hazel | Taer Jr, Hermenegildo |
| Balaengan, Erwin | Bajoy, Anthony |
| Ang, Karen | Judayun, Glen |
| Ang, Lai Ling | Rubi, Allan |
| Ang, Tin Chun | Dotillos, Marjoram |
| Abala, Rufino | Niu, Marvin |
BIG on BIG
- FACT: Hunger and malnutrition are threatening the poor more than ever before. At school and household level, there is a dire need to identify, learn, and disseminate appropriate technologies to support food security and nutrition programs.
- PROBLEM: Most rural communities equate gardening with hard work and poor economic return. Reliance on external inputs makes gardening unsustainable for resource-poor families.
- SOLUTION: Simple technology with BIG benefits. The BIG approach developed by IIRR has been tested, modified, and simplified over three decades. By keeping the cost low and sustainability high, we have made significant inroads in rural reconstruction.
- EXAMPLE: One of IIRR’s tried and true techniques involves the use of narrow deep dug beds fertilized entirely with green leaf manure from the local kakawate (Gliricidia) shrub. Similar fast-growing shrubs exist in every country. A simple, low-external input and eco-friendly practice, BIG technology subscribes to a number of principles that make it particularly suitable to schools and poor households in combating hunger and malnutrition. BIG’s premise is that the sustainability and productivity of gardens largely depends on healthy soil and the availability of good quality seeds.
BIG is:
- Environmentally friendly. By using only organic fertilizers like nitrogen-fixing plants or natural pesticides, BIG builds soil health.
- Adaptive to local conditions. BIG uses locally available materials (indigenous seeds, crops).
- Low cost. Does not require heavy use of chemical inputs like fertilizers or pesticides; uses recycled seeds or other plant materials
- Intensive planting and year-round harvesting. A variety of vegetables and crops can be grown in a surprisingly small area, allowing for year-round harvests.
- Contributes to household income. Excess food crops can be sold to generate income.
- Young school kids are taught to grow and care for plants and their positive impact on environment and grow to become responsible citizens.
Context
Four million children ages 5-10 in the Philippines (FNRI-DOST, 2008) and many more children in developing countries are undernourished. In the Philippines, IIRR has experimented with an integrated and complementary approach to address child undernourishment. It combines use of vegetables from school BIG gardens to supplement the school feeding program. Together with parents, teachers, the Department of Education and communities, IIRR’s Integrated Food and Nutrition SecurityFood and Nutrition Security uses schools and community Bio-Intensive Gardening as platforms for various interventions.
Access the BIG video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq6IuyG0Qy4&feature=share
FEED was introduced to IIRR’s Integrated Community Food Production (ICFP) program in 2015, at which time FEED connected IIRR to the Philippine National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to converge efforts, and to scale up and out ICFP and BIG with NAPC. Read more about ICFP here: https://cgspace.cgiar.org/rest/bitstreams/79874/retrieve
About IIRR
“Not Relief But Release”. IIRR has over 95 years of experience in empowering communities to overcome poverty. Led by founder Dr. Y.C. James Yen, since early 1920s, IIRR’s predecessor the Chinese Mass Education Movement was responsible for changing, for better, and the lives of over 200 million Chinese peasants through the power of functional literacy. Since IIRR was formally organized as an international development, training, and research organization in 1960 in the Philippines, they have continued to empower the rural poor to end poverty in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
IIRR uses innovative approaches that are integrated, people-centered and sustainable; the process we pioneered since early 20’s when these concepts were little known to development community. This philosophy of development guides all our work; we do not offer handouts. The Institute offers education and capacity building so that community members and their local organizations can enact changes relevant to them. IIRR’s core tenet at IIRR is to develop sustainable and effective solutions to poverty reduction by working with and learning from local communities, believing “outsiders can help, but insiders must do the job”.
The Institute has strong anti-poverty programs in eight (8) countries in Southeast Asia (Philippines, Cambodia and Myanmar) and Eastern and Southern Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan and Zimbabwe). In these countries and regions, IIRR works in collaboration with more than 125 local development partners, and all the 140 staff members are nationals of these countries.
*About Entire Car Care Centre, Inc. / Excellent Marketing
In 1994, a one-stop car care service center by the trade name of EN-TIRE CAR CARE CENTRE INC. was established in 44 Nicanor Roxas St., corner Apo St., Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City. Our main goal is to achieve customer’s satisfaction on our quality products at the same time also provide quality automotive services.
En-Tire engages in selling quality products like tires, batteries, & lubricants. We distribute tires of all types & sizes, from passenger cars, light truck, trucks, bus, industrial forklift, pneumatic/solid tires, & earthmover off-the-road vehicles. Due to low supplies of our local manufacturers, the company began to import tires from Asian countries.
- BFGoodrich PH
- BFGoodrich Philippines
- Camso PH
- Camso Philippines
- Tires PH
Visit http://entirecarcareinc.powersites.ph for more information about the company.
For more information on this project, or to adopt BIG in your area, email: info@feed.org.ph or call +63 (0)917 5524722.
© FEED, Inc.