CALOOCAN CITY, Metro Manila—Recognizing the role of teachers in developing a child’s skills and values, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) continues to partner with them to help ensure food security for the future generations.

The 100 teachers from Cielito Zamora Memorial School are now also among these partners as they took part in a knowledge-sharing activity on urban farming held by the ATI in the school. Here they found new ways of growing vegetables in the small space and with the materials have in their campus.

With the help of ATI Learning Site cooperator Emma Tolentino, the teachers learned the proper ways of turning used plastic bottles as plant containers. She also introduced the use of a piece of cloth as a way to retain water content for the soil inside the container.

Tolentino, who owns Eco Natural Integrated Farm in Victoria, Tarlac, also talked about the importance of keeping the soil healthy by using organic fertilizers. She underscored the practice of composting and using vermicast to augment the nutrients of the soil.

“The basic principle is to feed the soil to feed the plant. However, most people make the mistake of just feeding the plant and forget the soil,” she said. She added that a perfect soil composition is 50 percent soil which is made up of clay, sand, and silt; 45 percent organic matter; and five percent microorganism.

Stressing the importance of sustainability, Tolentino discussed the steps in making organic concoctions such as the oriental herb nutrients which is a natural insect repellent; fermented plant juice which enhances plant growth; and other organic fertilizers like fish amino acid and calcium phosphate using animal bones.

In a hands-on activity, Tolentino guided the teachers in planting lettuce seedlings using recycled plastic bottles as containers and vermicompost.

One of the teachers who got their hands dirty was Maribeth Musong who was amazed by the planting technologies shared by Tolentino. “It was a very educational experience for us. I didn’t know that you can use cloth to make the soil moist even if you don’t water it for a day or two,” she said.

Musong, who has been teaching for around 10 years, added that she will not only teach her students about the said practice but will also do it at home.

The school’s principal, Flora Domer, was pleased to see the active participation of the teachers in the activity and looked forward to working with them in improving some of their programs.

“We have been experiencing difficulties in growing vegetables here at the school. This is our initial step in enhancing our “Gulayan sa Paaralan” effort which augments the needs of our feeding program,” Domer said. She shared that because no vegetables would grow in their garden, they would spend a lot in buying vegetables from the market.

Domer likewise hoped to see the teachers apply their knowledge not only in the school but also in their homes and communities. “I myself will start putting to practice what I learned today. I also plan to share this to other principals who may have problems similar to ours. Moreover, the practice of using organic fertilizers and recycling plastic bottles can help address the problem of climate change,” she added.

Held on May 21, 2018, the activity was organized in preparation for the school’s “Brigada Eskwela” with the theme “Pagkakaisa Para sa Handa, Ligtas at Matatag na Paaralan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan” which will start next week. ATI staff also gave information, education, and communication materials to help the teachers further enhance their knowledge on farming and, in turn, share this knowledge to the students and parents.