MMSU, Rotary Club, and City of Batac Launch Bio-Intensive Gardening Program to Empower Elementary Schools

Written by Administrator on 21 August 2026

In a joint effort to cultivate self-sufficiency and instill transformative values among young learners, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), together with the Rotary Club of Laoag Sunshine, the Local Government Unit of Batac, and the Department of Education (DepEd) City Schools Division of Batac, officially launched a sustainable school-based vegetable production program during a planning meeting held on August 21, 2026, at ILAARRDEC-OSIS, CRL Compound, MMSU.


The initiative, titled “Gender-Responsive and Culture-based Bio-intensive Gardening Program: Intensifying Gulayan sa Eskwelahan for Food and Livelihood Enterprise Development,” aims to develop a sustainable vegetable program as a teaching-learning platform and community-based innovation model anchored on food security, livelihood enterprise development, and inclusive agricultural education.


Dr. Virgilio Julius P. Manzano Jr., who serves as President of both MMSU and the Rotary Club of Laoag Sunshine, highlighted the vision of the project and emphasized the importance of early values formation and multi-sectoral collaboration:


“Agyamankami apo for sharing your time, out of your hectic schedule, for the love of our students. Because the goal of this project is to inculcate, in their transformative years, while they are still young, the value that you would like them to inherit. Any additional partnership being done by MMSU is an added value to the university, and it is a platform where we can reach out to more clientele through you, our partners.”


Dr. Manzano further underscored the program's potential for self-sufficiency and enterprise, offering a direct market for participating schools by noting that surplus yield from elementary school gardens will be purchased by the MMSU Cafeteria, driving real economic value, encouraging student enterprise, and instilling a mindset of sustainability at a young age.


The program establishes an integrated agricultural education framework tailored for Grades 3 to 6 learners and teachers. It combines organic composting, integrated farming platforms, values transformation, and gender-responsive, culture-based interventions. Beyond classroom instruction, the initiative includes capacity-building activities for parents and guardians to expand family livelihood opportunities, along with participatory monitoring and comprehensive documentation to ensure co-ownership of program gains across the community.


Led by Rotary Club International – City of Laoag Sunshine and coordinated through the MMSU Extension Directorate under Director Dr. Marlowe U. Aquino, the initiative brings together key institutional partners, including LGU-Batac through its City Agriculturist Office, the DepEd City Schools Division of Batac, and the Department of Agriculture RFU 1 – Ilocos Norte Experiment Station. The initial implementation involves four key elementary schools led by their respective administrators: Quiling Elementary School led by OIC-Principal Mr. Gilbert P. Isla; Hilario Valdez Memorial Elementary School led by Principal II Ms. Mely E. Repollo; Tabug Elementary School led by Principal I Ms. Eleonor B. Ramos; and Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School led by Principal II Ms. Lorelyee F. Batucal. (Mercy R. Gaño)



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