The Negros Oriental provincial government, through the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), has implemented its Gulay at Palaisdaan Alay sa Kabataan or GPAK program in 85 public schools since its inception over two decades ago.

PAO chief Emmanuel Caduyac said in a Kapihan sa PIA forum in this city on Wednesday that aside from the schools, GPAK now benefits the communities, including students and their parents in undertaking simple and sustainable agricultural practices at home.

He said the schools participate in a contest initiated by the PAO to encourage them to sustain their projects on campus.

“We look at the physical appearance of their gardens and fishponds and production,” he added.

Cash prizes are given to the winners to fund school projects, with awarding rites set every September.

Caduyac said GPAK promotes food security, sustainable agriculture, and proper nutrition for the beneficiaries.

It started as a school-based program where students were encouraged to plant vegetables in school gardens and raise fish for consumption.

Former governor George Arnaiz conceived the award-winning program that aimed to teach children at school the benefits of gardening while also learning about the environment and protecting it.

The PAO chief said they provide beneficiaries seeds, garden tools, and fertilizers to grow vegetables and tilapia fries and feeds for the fishponds.

The schools also receive technical assistance, especially as the province is promoting organic vegetable production.

Students in Grades 5 and 6 and high schools are the target beneficiaries of GPAK in the schools, Caduyac said. (PNA)