Teachers, interested parents, and Grade 11 students of the City of Batac National High School (CBNHS) – Payao are now embracing production information and technologies of the Mariano Marcos State University through the project, Fighting CoVID with COVEG (Collaborative Vegetable Gardening): Vegetable Dispersal Project.

Twenty-six participants attended the Pre-Dispersal Training this December 16, 2021 at the school’s covered court. This makes CBNHS – Payao the third recipient school of the COVEG Project, following the MMSU and the Ilocos Norte Agricultural College (INAC) in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.

Information shared include Vegetable Production Technologies with Ms. Marissa Atis of the Research Directorate, Organic Fertilizer Production with Prof. Floramante Pastor of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development (CAFSD), Farm Lay-out with Mr. Lew Vergel Ilaga of the Extension Directorate, and Dr. Sosima Demandante of CAFSD and Chief of the Technology Demonstration section of the Extension Directorate.

“We are grateful to MMSU for reaching our humble school to share this pandemic-responsive initiative. This project allowed us to see each other and share this learning opportunity to our students, teachers, and parents alike as we continue to brave this pandemic”, Ms. Lovely Jane Durante, Officer-in-Charge of CBNHS, exclaimed.

Seeds of various vegetables such as pole sitao, upland kangkong, okra, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, squash, and pechay, and seedlings of eggplant, tomato, and finger pepper were distributed after the training. Mr. Lew Vergel Ilaga, Project Development Officer of the Extension Directorate also shared that some of the teachers will be serving as model gardens to sufficiently encourage the parents and students in adopting the information and technologies shared during the training. With the recommended management and care for these vegetables, safe and healthy food for the family and community are envisioned for the community in the near future.

The CBNHS actively sought assistance from the University to assist its stakeholders in coping with the pandemic. This October, the school discussed their intent for collaboration with the chiefs and experts of the Extension Directorate.   

Through the COVEG project, it is hoped that the Payao community will be a greener community amid pandemic, able to serve as food and additional income to their families and share to their produce to their communities to encourage them in adopting the vegetable gardening technologies shared.

“We hope to replicate the success of our COVEG project in Pasuquin here in CBNHS Payao. Together, let us make this another milestone for our learners”, Extension Director, Dr. Aris Reynold Cajigal, shared. It can be recalled that INAC Pasuquin also embraced the COVEG project for its SHS students.

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