Sustaining and scaling up nutrition-sensitive agriculture

School garden produce are promoted to be used in feeding programs to improve the nutritional status of school children however, the disconnect between these two programs was observed. This action research aimed to identify nutritional contributions of gardens, specifically as source of vegetables used for feeding and as a learning laboratory where nutrition and environmental education can be conducted. Fifty-eight (58) lighthouse schools (LS) were designated within Region IVA (Calabarzon)[Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Philippines] where a total of 80,222 children were enrolled in 2016-2017. Out of the LS, three schools were selected as sentinel research sites (in Cavite province), where rigorous collection of qualitative and quantitative data, including productivity data of a 200 sq. meter school garden, was undertaken. Survey forms and questionnaires were also used in these LS to support data collection needs. For the effects of supplementary feeding, FNRI-DOST verified the nutritional assessments in three sentinel schools and three LS from July to August 2016. Better integration of school gardens, school feeding, and nutrition education was achieved as shown by the utilization of garden produce (42%) in the feeding program, use of gardens for nutrition education (65.45%), and enhanced garden diversity with an average of 26 crops. Results of a 120-day feeding cycle using indigenous vegetables and iron-fortified rice showed that there was a significant decrease in the proportion of undernourished students aged 5.1-10 and 10.1-19 from baseline (100%) to endpoint (64.71%). Nationwide uptake of the integrated school nutrition model is underway via institutionalization and increased investments by the government and private sector. Makin feeding use of the school gardens' indigenous vegetable produce in school-based supplementary feeding effectively improved nutritional status of school children. School gardens have proven to be an excellent mechanism to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture, especially if agroecological inputs are used, which ensuring produce that is safe and free from chemical residues.