The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has partnered with East-West Seed Foundation (East-West), a seed company, to implement a community-based nutritional health promotion and food security through household vegetable gardening and advocacy project. The partnership was sealed through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the two agencies recently.
The DSWD, through its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya), in its effort to respond to the call for a more nutrition-sensitive families, endeavors to promote not only the “Gulayan sa Barangay” as mandated by the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2018, but also aims to contribute to the improvement of the overall health of its beneficiaries.
The East- West, on the other hand, envisions a future where every Filipino enjoys food security and proper nutrition.
DSWD and East-West stated that the partnership is a timely and worthy collaboration which will surely benefit the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, particularly in their health and nutrition, as it promotes awareness on the nutritional values of common vegetables to women and children. The partnership also teaches households on basic knowledge of vegetable gardening and campaigns to promote planting and eating vegetables.
The community gardening project features a well-designed framework and a systematic cycle which include planning and capability building activities to both implementers and key participants. There will be four pilot activities to be immediately implemented in four project sites in Pandan, Antique; Dau, Capiz; Tanauan City, Batangas ; and Cavite.
“Pantawid Pamilya has a mandate to promote and implement backyard or communal gardening but needs technical assistance from different groups like East-West with the hope that the project will be successful and be fully rolled-out nationwide” Pantawid Pamilya Director Leonardo Reynoso explained.
In response, East-West Executive Director Cisanto Sabino said, ”DSWD and East-West have the same vision and mission. As a seed company, East-West is capable of providing technical assistance. We are privileged for the opportunity to be part of a worthy government project.” ###
