Two months after their training on vegetable gardening, students of the beneficiary-schools of the project, Galing-PCAARRD kontra COVID-19 Program: Bio-Intensive Gardening (BIG) Panlaban sa COVID-19 para sa Ilocos, are now enjoying their first harvests.

Students of the beneficiary schools, the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School (MMES), Hilario Valdez Memorial Elementary School (HVMES), Catalino Acosta Memorial Elementary School (CAMES), and Baay Elementary School (BES) of the City of Batac, are now fully engaged in growing and maintaining their school-community gardens as they begin to harvest flowers and fruits from the seeds and seedlings they planted last July.

Seeds of pechay, okra and pole sitao and seedlings of squash, bitter gourd, eggplant, tomato, and finger pepper were distributed to school-community gardens established in strategic areas where most of the students of the school are located.

During the virtual pre-dispersal training, BIG Project leader, Ms. Marissa Atis encouraged everyone in a motion to ‘us invest in their young hearts and minds the value of eating vegetables, such that, when they grow older, eating it becomes a part of their eating habit. By doing that, we influence their lifestyle and inculcate a healthy diet’.

The BIG project is instrumental in sustaining safe and healthy food in the dining tables of Ilokanoes amid the pandemic. By engaging the youth into bio-intensive gardening, they are also exposed to the potentials and promises of agriculture in bringing development in the agriculture sector especially in the rural areas.

The project also supports the Plant, Plant, Plant Program (4Ps) of the national government including the Department of Education’s program, Agmula, Agtaraken, Agtagibalay, ken Agliwliwa (4As) Program.

The BIG Project is implemented by the MMSU Research and Extension Directorates and the Ilocos Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILAARRDEC) with funding support from the DOST - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) and in collaboration with the Department of Education - Schools Division of Batac.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3Bmy0xa. 

Airing on Bio-Intensive Gardening accessible at https://bit.ly/3anMYHc.  

• MMSU Extension Directorate conducts proposal review

  MAR 12, 2024

  As part of its continuing drive to implement quality extension programs and projects to benefit various communities in the province, the MMSU-Extension Directorate conducts a two-day presentation of the 2024 extension programs, projects, and activities.  The presentation is attended by 30 compo... [view more]
• MMSU ties up with PNHS for GS extension project

  FEB 07, 2024

  By Crisdeniele H. ClementeThe Mariano Marcos State University Graduate School (MMSU-GS) sealed agreements with Paoay National High School (PNHS) on January 26 for the extension project of the Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics, Master of Arts in English Language and Literature, and Master in Inform... [view more]
• MMSU employees, units recognized in PRAISE Awards 2024

  FEB 05, 2024

  By Rommel Q. Pascua, StratCom CorrespondentThe Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) recognized the exceptional achievements of its esteemed faculty and staff in this year’s Program on Awards and Incentive for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Awards.Over 200 awardees across individual and group ca... [view more]
• Jollibee group ties up with MMSU for agri-entrepreneurship program

  DEC 18, 2023

  By Crisdeniele H. ClementeThe Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) Inc. has partnered with Mariano Marcos State University for the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) meant to empower smallholder farmers and foster sustainable agro-enterprises.The partnership was formalized at the Center for Flexible L... [view more]
• MMSU-ED conducts 3rd batch of Training on Oyster Mushroom Production

  NOV 16, 2023

  In response to the increasing number of community members requesting for training on oyster mushroom production, the MMSU-Extension Directorate conducted another training on November 9-10, 2023 at the MMSU-UBRC. This is now the third batch of training conducted this year.Thirty-one members of variou... [view more]