Gulayansa Paaralan
Gulayansa Paaralan
Gulayansa Paaralan
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Abstract
The demands of our growing population have done much damage to
the environment in our quest for food; volumes of waste contribute to
environmental risk (Akaateba & Yakubu, 2013). This study aimed to
document the best practices of Talamban Elementary School’s “Gulayan sa
Paaralan” in response to sustainable development. The following objectives
were raised in order to answer the main problem: (1) determine the TES-
GP’s challenges and success stories; (2) assess the physical feature of the
TES-GP; (3) identify the type of vegetables planted; (4) describe the
gardening model used in the TES-GP, and (5) perceive the guidelines for its
successful monitoring. The study employed a qualitative approach using
phenomenology of Zahavi’s pre-reflective self-awareness of experience
through interviews of a specific human subject named “Madam Green”.
Personal experiences were categorized into retention, primal impression,
and protention, which served as a self-manifestation of her stretched
consciousness. An ocular observation of the garden was conducted to
validate the interviews made. Data gathered were supplemented with
periodic reports and other related studies. The “Gulayan sa Paaralan” (GP)
was a modest replication of the “Gulayan ng Masa” (GM) served as one of
the best practices of TES – created a vital contribution for its feeding
program. Exasperations to the inimical attitude shown among the TES-GP’s
stakeholders, resulted in the garden’s minimum involvement, insufficient
landscaping and garden fixtures, no proper arrangement and classification of
vegetables according to the specified garden models indicated no
discouragement. Stretched consciousness of these realities, catapulted a
vision to innovate organic fertilizers and pesticides in the enhancement of
garden yields. Experiences swirled to a retention that mattered, a passion for
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Introduction
As human populations continuously growing, with an estimate of
353,000 babies are born every day, around the world (UNICEF, December
2013), the ratio for food requirement rapidly increases. The demands of our
growing population have done much damage to the environment in our quest
for food; volumes of waste contribute to environmental risk (Akaateba &
Yakubu, 2013). As vulnerable families in the Philippines are affected to
tropical cyclones, with an average of 20 typhoons every year, results in high
demand for food, ending most of these families displaced, impoverished, and
school children in public school malnourished. This situation increases
poverty incidence in the countryside and a widening urban poverty in highly
urbanized cities. To Ajodo-Adebanjoko & Walter (2014) poverty and
insecurity are the most serious global problems which adversely affect
sustainable development in the developing countries. Under the K to 12 in
basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines
creates children’s awareness about production of more food on the table,
through vegetable gardening within the scope of Home Economics and
Livelihood Education (HELE) subjects in the elementary and the
Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) subjects in the high school, in
order to nurture resiliency and sustainability of scarce resources in localized
and contextualized ways. Sustainable development becomes a policy of the
Ramos administration in order to strengthen the national economy for global
competitiveness; support for small-scale enterprises and local community
enterprises (Agoncillo & Mangahas, 2010). This awareness on sustainable
development increases the need for children’s protein requirement to eat
vegetables in order to be healthy, without buying them in the market; but
relying on the bounty of their own school vegetable gardens.
In 2006 to 2010, Administrative Order (AO) No. 11, Section 1 of the
Department of Agriculture (DA) deputizes DepEd as one of the agencies to
implement the “Gulayan ng Masa” (veggies for the masses) – as a potential
family farm program that “empowers the poor living in the rural areas with
high hunger and malnutrition incidence by enhancing their capability to
produce their own food through adoption of integrated backyard gardening”.
The role of DepEd is to campaign for the entire community, where the
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the school is given the blanket authority to make relevant decisions to ensure
quality in the management of resources and anticipate growth.
Likewise, the TES-GP study is also transcended on Zahavi’s Pre-
reflective Self-awareness Theory of Experience, which explains that pre-
reflective self-awareness of the experience is nothing but the perpetual self-
manifestation of the absolute flow of consciousness constitutes itself and
brings awareness to the act of experience. According to Gee (2014) Zahavi’s
view on consciousness is the extended view of primal impression, retention,
and protention that constitute the presence, as one unitary element. The
experiences of the subject in backyard gardening is juxtaposed since 2011
(retention) = to what it has brought now (primal impression) = to what will it
bring base on the then and now experiences (protention). Zahavi takes such
a view to be able to maintain the presence so that he can hold his view of
pre-reflective self-awareness where self-manifestation of the absolute flow
and pre-reflective self-awareness coincide (Gee, 2014). This concurs that
assessment of the TES-GP follows the whole awareness of the subject’s
phenomenal experiences across time. Thus, a TES-GP study is intentionally
undertaken.
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banana, cassava, coffee, mango, sweet potato and Manila hemp (abaca).
When this finding is used as a model for vegetable gardening in school, then
the country can achieve greater prosperity in the ASEAN integration. Like
the other countries model for development, Sdrolias, et al, (2014) conclude
that there is a significant development of Greece’s specified sector, the
requirements for the exploitation of the competitive advantage benefits have
not matured yet, and that could lead to a positive economy of scale. To
Tseles, et al, (2011) in Sdrolias, et al, (2014) crop production ensures the
reduction of energy consumption. This effort to reduce energy consumption
corroborates in Kone, Yte, Sekou, Konan, Koutou, Konan, & Zouzou (2014)
through the use of dry cow dung (cattle waste), which increases relative
nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium contents that contribute to
soil fertility and potential vegetative growth of 30%. Exemplifying the case
of Ghana, Baud, et al (2001) in Akaateba & Yakubu (2013) uses a 9-point
indicator system combining ecological, economic, social and public health
concerns to assess how alliances between the public and private sector in
solid waste management contribute to sustainable development, that
alliances help in solving the problem of disposal and the performance of
landfills. Vis-à-vis, the European Union has embarked the concept of Zero
Waste Management targeting zero wastes of resources (energy, materials,
and human), zero emissions (air, soil, water, solid waste, hazardous waste),
zero wastes in activities (administration and production), zero wastes in
product life (logistics, use, end-of-life), and zero wastes of toxics (processes
and products) (Zelko & Oravcova, 2013).
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Vegetables Grown
TES-GP has a sizable amount of vegetables (annuals, perennials,
bulbs), which percentage survivability connotes a positive remark for
sustainable help of the TES’ feeding program. These plants bring color,
variability, scents, and plant details into the urban space (Polackova, 2014).
To Hattatt (2002) annuals are plants whose life is limited to only one season,
which Nessman (2008) characterizes these to complete their life cycle in one
year, when grown from seed, it will germinate flower, set seed and die within
a single season. Perennials are plants that return to a new flower, so they do
not need to be replanted (Nessman, 2008), like for examples the “malunggay
or “kamunggay” (Moringa oleifera), the bulbous perennials such as:
“camote”, (Ipomeoa batatas), “gabi” (Colocasia esculenta), “ubi”
(Dioscorea alata), and shrubs. Bulb plants stockpile reserve nutrients in the
fleshy underground organ (Nessman, 2008) that permits a long period of
dormancy (Hattatt, 2002), which feeds the young shoots like gingers, onions,
and tubers. Climbers are shrubs with long flexible branches that need to
support growth (Nessman, 2008). These plants need support in any of these
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Jocano (2000) recalls the gardening culture of the Filipinos during the
early time that the “Pisan” engages in limited gardening where they clear
small patches of land and plant with cassava (tapioca), camote (sweet
potato), gabi (taro), and ubi (yams). Once planted, these are left alone to
grow in semi-wild condition, sometimes abandoned when the families move.
The place is revisited when, as estimated, the plant-foods are ripened for
harvest. Manna et al., (2005), Ouvrier, (1984) in Kone, et al, (2014) have
validated the best vegetative growth, which is able to induce higher
productivity of plant material that is determined by an optimal mineral
nutrition, which guarantees the coverage of the needs of the crops.
Vegetables ranks second in Greece’s total organic farming produce (Sdrolias,
et al, 2014). Spices, as essential elements in cooking, are planted with high
rating. Out of these yields, to sell 106 kilos and another 87 kilos that
supplements the school’s feeding program. To Williams & Williams (1989),
results of backyard garden experiments can lead to substantial savings of
time and money, as well as tastier produce and more attractive landscapes.
To Tseles, et al, (2011) in Sdrolias, et al, (2014) organic production improves
living conditions to produce food of high nutritional value. To Tseles, et al,
(2011) in Sdrolias, et al, (2014) organic production yields a sufficient
quantity and conservation of genetic diversity in agricultural ecosystems,
including the protection of plants and wildlife.
Gardening Models
In typical public school landscape, the challenge is on its limited
space. School gardens are usually located besides the school building.
Hence, it is dubbed as backyard gardening. In TES, the several gardening
models are spotted through an ocular observation, which requires
enhancement for wider production to fit the concept of urban gardening.
Model A is a Patch Gardening that characterizes plots in a rectangular
shape, ditches are provided for easy flow of water, and pathways to step on,
while removing its weeds. Model B is a Dish or Potted Gardening that
characterizes indoor location, using recyclables like containers such as
basins, trays and pails. In this garden, plants are growing in shallow
containers, which are placed with soil, planted with vegetables at least of
three variants, transferable to a place at the side of the pathways and alleys or
in the school veranda. Chinese onions, pechay and ginger are ideal plants in
a dish garden. Model C is the Vertical Gardening that characterizes either
indoor or outdoor mounted on walls, fences or trellises of the school building
with the use of recyclable sacks, empty soda bottles, and other containers.
This form of gardening makes the trellises look fresh and green ideal for
vegetable climbers. Model D is the Aerial Gardening that uses hanging
empty container, in an open or covered aerial position in the backyard. Iron
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Conclusion
The “Gulayan sa Paaralan” (GP) was a modest replication of the
“Gulayan ng Masa” (GM) served as one of the best practices of TES –
created a vital contribution for its feeding program. Pre-reflective awareness
in responding to government mandates like sustainable development, hunger
and malnutrition, and other environmental challenges was a valuable piece
for proximal impression led the TES-GP’s creation. Exasperations to the
inimical attitude shown among the TES-GP’s stakeholders, resulted in the
garden’s minimum involvement, insufficient landscaping and garden
fixtures, no proper arrangement and classification of vegetables according to
the specified garden models indicated no discouragement. Stretched
consciousness of these realities, catapulted a transcendent vision for change
and innovate organic fertilizers and pesticides in the enhancement of garden
yields. Experiences swirled to a retention that mattered, a passion for
environment, a coordination of the non-government organization was forged
and protention for successful maintenance of the garden was regarded an
anticipated proposal for action. Success in vegetable gardening was an
attribute of passion in a seamless element of stretched consciousness for
sustainable development, with a certain degree of sameness across the flow
of time.
References:
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. & Fe B. Mangahas (2010). Philippine history,
expanded and updated edition, C & E Publications, Inc. Quezon City,
Philippines.
Ajodo-Adebanjoko, Angela & Ugwuoke Walter (2014). Poverty and the
challenges of insecurity to development. European Scientific Journal,
Volume 10, No. 14, November 2014 Edition.
Akaateba, Millicent Awialie & Ibrahim Yakubu (2013). Householders’
satisfaction towards solid waste collection services of Zoomlion Ghana ltd in
Wa, Ghana. European Scientific Journal,
Volume 9, No.32 , November 2013 Edition.
Altoveros, Nestor C. & Tersita H. Borromeo (2007).The state of plant
genetic resources for food and agriculture in the Philippines. Department of
Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry.
Manila Phlippines. http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1500e/Philippines.pdf
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