SEARCA representatives and Bahay ni Maria staff members smile as they hold eggplant seedlings ready for planting.
CALAMBA CITY, Philippines—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) held a refresher training on sustainable gardening techniques for staff members of Bahay ni Maria, a home for abandoned elderly persons and children with special needs in Calamba, Laguna, on 22 June 2026.
Led by Ms. Anna Gale Vallez, Program Specialist at the SEARCA Research and Thought Leadership Department (RTLD), the training equipped 15 young staff members, along with Sr. Marie Sosoban of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima, with knowledge of sustainable home gardening practices. The session covered organic farming, bio-intensive gardening, establishing a crop museum, edible landscaping, container gardening, and nutrient management. The trainees also received a refresher on the production of organic plant growth solutions.
To incorporate experiential learning, the staff prepared a basic hydroponics setup, in which they planted eggplant seedlings using the SNAP (Simple Nutrient Addition Program) hydroponic nutrient solution developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
The training served as a follow-through to the capacity-building activity on gardening held on 30 January 2025. A retraining was deemed necessary as most of the previous trainees were volunteers, and the home has since welcomed new staff members who will now take on the responsibility of maintaining the garden.
"SEARCA is committed to advancing food and nutrition security, and our partnership with Bahay ni Maria reflects this commitment. With this refresher course on basic gardening, we can empower volunteers and staff at Bahay ni Maria with the practical skills needed to grow their own food," remarked Ms. Sharon Malaiba, Head of the SEARCA Partnerships Unit (PU).
The Center also handed over planting guides and materials, seedlings, and gardening supplies to support the continued operation and expansion of the home's garden.
By enabling the Bahay ni Maria staff members to produce readily available, fresh, and nutritious food for the home's residents, this initiative aligns with SEARCA's commitment under its 12th Five-Year Development Plan: Sustainable Transformation of Agricultural Systems through Innovation in Southeast Asia (SUSTAIN Southeast Asia), to promote food and nutrition security. Spearheaded by the SEARCA PU and RTLD, the initiative is part of the Center's ongoing community relations partnership with the home.