On October 10, 2024, the fourth annual Best School Mini Garden competition, spearheaded by the UN World Food Programme, Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, the Russian Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute, and the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency, concluded with a grand award ceremony at Vanadzor Basic School № 23 named after Admiral Isakov, in Lori мarz.
The competition, aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and school feeding while encouraging healthy eating habits among children, included 18 schools from seven marzes of Armenia.
This year, the competition featured two categories: Best School Mini Garden for schools that maintained on-site gardens during the spring, and Best Windowsill Garden for schools in colder regions that created indoor mini gardens.
Celebrating schoolchildren’s achievements in agriculture
From March to August, schoolchildren, with the support of teachers, headmasters, parents, and local communities, worked hard to cultivate thriving mini gardens at their school plots. The initiative not only provided fresh produce for school meals but also aimed to inspire a passion for organic farming and sustainability in young minds.
A selection committee, made up of experts from the organizing institutions, carefully reviewed the schools’ projects. The host, Vanadzor Basic School № 23, was awarded first place for its exemplary work. Second place went to Mrgashen Secondary School in Kotayk marz, while Nor Geghi Secondary School № 2, also in Kotayk marz, took third place. Lanjaghbyur Secondary School in Gegharkunik marz won the prize for Best Windowsill Garden. Special Encouragement Awards were presented to Meghradzor Secondary School, Kotayk marz, and Tsakqar Secondary School, Gegharkunik marz, for fourth and fifth places, respectively. Other participants were also acknowledged for their contributions to promoting sustainable agricultural practices in schools.
Honoring the winners and participants
During the ceremony, a variety of valuable prizes were awarded. The first-place winner received a $3,000 grant to support further gardening initiatives, while the second and third-place schools were each awarded food dehydrators to enhance their agricultural programs. Additional nominees received seedling racks and knife sets. All participating schools were recognized with certificates of participation.
Inspiring creativity and sustainability
This year’s competition encouraged schools to use children’s drawings of their favorite springtime dishes as inspiration, promoting creativity alongside sustainable agriculture and healthy eating. A highlight of the event was an exhibition of 18 children’s drawings, showcasing their favorite spring dishes and gardening experiences. Each young artist received a Dream Garden board game to further encourage their curiosity and creativity, along with certificates of appreciation. The drawings reflected the students' growing understanding of agriculture, nutrition, and environmental stewardship, reinforcing the connection between education and sustainable living.
Ceremony highlights and agricultural exhibition
The award ceremony attracted numerous attendees, including officials from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, representatives from Lori Marzpetaran, participating schools, competition organizers, the selection committee, and, of course, the students whose dedication and enthusiasm brought their mini garden ideas to life.
The opening of the award ceremony was conducted by SFCW Agency director Satenik Mkrtchyan. She welcomed the participants and guests, congratulated the winners, and noted that, just like in previous years, it was very difficult to choose the prize winners this year. All the projects submitted to the competition were interesting and meaningful, demonstrating the great efforts made by the schools. Satenik Mkrtchyan also spoke about the competition, emphasizing its significance as an important part of the School Feeding program.
Garegin Karhanyan, Head of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the RA Lori Marpetaran, highlighted the importance of the "Best School Mini Garden" competition, as it allows extracurricular education and teaches schoolchildren the basics of smart agriculture, which is very important in the 21st century. "The schools of Lori marz have always participated in the competition with great enthusiasm and this year they had good results, taking the first place (Vanadzor Basic School № 23 after Tsovakal Isakov) and receiving an award in the category "Best Hanging Garden" (Vanadzor Basic School № 21 after Gai). Such enthusiasm gives a reason to think about holding such a competition within the framework of Lori region," said Mr. Karhanyan.
Maria Muradyan, the UN WFP head of projects, thanked the organizers and noted that the "Best School Mini Garden" competition has once again become a celebration that brings together children, teachers, and the community, allowing to appreciate their work. "This is the fourth year of the competition, yet every year the schools continue to amaze us with their wonderful ideas and the incredible results they achieve."
Oksana Zotova, head of the project at SIFI, expressed the organizers' excitement about the children's participation in the competition and their involvement in gardening activities. "Armenia's experience in developing school gardens is truly outstanding and pleasantly surprising. It can serve as a model for organizing similar competitions in other countries as well."
SIFI and SFCW representatives offered insights into the selection process and highlighted the significance of the prizes. Additionally, discussions focused on the transformative role of school feeding programs and agricultural clubs, organized by the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency in 31 schools across Armenia, as part of the program’s broader impact. Attendees learned about the positive effects of mini gardens and feeding initiatives on education and community well-being, with a video presentation showcasing these efforts.
After the official proceedings, guests were invited to the annual school mini garden harvest expo, held near the host school’s garden. The event also included students’ theatrical performance on the theme of mini gardens, followed by an exhibition of the schools’ produce.
Looking toward the future
The event concluded with a visit to the innovative greenhouse at Vanadzor School № 27, where attendees explored the school’s cutting-edge agricultural classroom. Here, students are taught sustainable farming techniques, contributing to the initiative’s long-term goal of cultivating a new generation of farmers and agriculturally conscious citizens.
This competition is a key element of the National School Feeding Programme, aimed at encouraging the creation of school gardens nationwide. It not only provides fresh vegetables and herbs for school meals but also sparks interest in organic farming among children from an early age and teaches them the basics of land cultivation.
The competition, aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and school feeding while encouraging healthy eating habits among children, included 18 schools from seven marzes of Armenia.
This year, the competition featured two categories: Best School Mini Garden for schools that maintained on-site gardens during the spring, and Best Windowsill Garden for schools in colder regions that created indoor mini gardens.
Celebrating schoolchildren’s achievements in agriculture
From March to August, schoolchildren, with the support of teachers, headmasters, parents, and local communities, worked hard to cultivate thriving mini gardens at their school plots. The initiative not only provided fresh produce for school meals but also aimed to inspire a passion for organic farming and sustainability in young minds.
A selection committee, made up of experts from the organizing institutions, carefully reviewed the schools’ projects. The host, Vanadzor Basic School № 23, was awarded first place for its exemplary work. Second place went to Mrgashen Secondary School in Kotayk marz, while Nor Geghi Secondary School № 2, also in Kotayk marz, took third place. Lanjaghbyur Secondary School in Gegharkunik marz won the prize for Best Windowsill Garden. Special Encouragement Awards were presented to Meghradzor Secondary School, Kotayk marz, and Tsakqar Secondary School, Gegharkunik marz, for fourth and fifth places, respectively. Other participants were also acknowledged for their contributions to promoting sustainable agricultural practices in schools.
Honoring the winners and participants
During the ceremony, a variety of valuable prizes were awarded. The first-place winner received a $3,000 grant to support further gardening initiatives, while the second and third-place schools were each awarded food dehydrators to enhance their agricultural programs. Additional nominees received seedling racks and knife sets. All participating schools were recognized with certificates of participation.
Inspiring creativity and sustainability
This year’s competition encouraged schools to use children’s drawings of their favorite springtime dishes as inspiration, promoting creativity alongside sustainable agriculture and healthy eating. A highlight of the event was an exhibition of 18 children’s drawings, showcasing their favorite spring dishes and gardening experiences. Each young artist received a Dream Garden board game to further encourage their curiosity and creativity, along with certificates of appreciation. The drawings reflected the students' growing understanding of agriculture, nutrition, and environmental stewardship, reinforcing the connection between education and sustainable living.
Ceremony highlights and agricultural exhibition
The award ceremony attracted numerous attendees, including officials from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports, representatives from Lori Marzpetaran, participating schools, competition organizers, the selection committee, and, of course, the students whose dedication and enthusiasm brought their mini garden ideas to life.
The opening of the award ceremony was conducted by SFCW Agency director Satenik Mkrtchyan. She welcomed the participants and guests, congratulated the winners, and noted that, just like in previous years, it was very difficult to choose the prize winners this year. All the projects submitted to the competition were interesting and meaningful, demonstrating the great efforts made by the schools. Satenik Mkrtchyan also spoke about the competition, emphasizing its significance as an important part of the School Feeding program.
Garegin Karhanyan, Head of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the RA Lori Marpetaran, highlighted the importance of the "Best School Mini Garden" competition, as it allows extracurricular education and teaches schoolchildren the basics of smart agriculture, which is very important in the 21st century. "The schools of Lori marz have always participated in the competition with great enthusiasm and this year they had good results, taking the first place (Vanadzor Basic School № 23 after Tsovakal Isakov) and receiving an award in the category "Best Hanging Garden" (Vanadzor Basic School № 21 after Gai). Such enthusiasm gives a reason to think about holding such a competition within the framework of Lori region," said Mr. Karhanyan.
Maria Muradyan, the UN WFP head of projects, thanked the organizers and noted that the "Best School Mini Garden" competition has once again become a celebration that brings together children, teachers, and the community, allowing to appreciate their work. "This is the fourth year of the competition, yet every year the schools continue to amaze us with their wonderful ideas and the incredible results they achieve."
Oksana Zotova, head of the project at SIFI, expressed the organizers' excitement about the children's participation in the competition and their involvement in gardening activities. "Armenia's experience in developing school gardens is truly outstanding and pleasantly surprising. It can serve as a model for organizing similar competitions in other countries as well."
SIFI and SFCW representatives offered insights into the selection process and highlighted the significance of the prizes. Additionally, discussions focused on the transformative role of school feeding programs and agricultural clubs, organized by the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency in 31 schools across Armenia, as part of the program’s broader impact. Attendees learned about the positive effects of mini gardens and feeding initiatives on education and community well-being, with a video presentation showcasing these efforts.
After the official proceedings, guests were invited to the annual school mini garden harvest expo, held near the host school’s garden. The event also included students’ theatrical performance on the theme of mini gardens, followed by an exhibition of the schools’ produce.
Looking toward the future
The event concluded with a visit to the innovative greenhouse at Vanadzor School № 27, where attendees explored the school’s cutting-edge agricultural classroom. Here, students are taught sustainable farming techniques, contributing to the initiative’s long-term goal of cultivating a new generation of farmers and agriculturally conscious citizens.
This competition is a key element of the National School Feeding Programme, aimed at encouraging the creation of school gardens nationwide. It not only provides fresh vegetables and herbs for school meals but also sparks interest in organic farming among children from an early age and teaches them the basics of land cultivation.