The fourth annual Best School Mini Garden competition, organized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI), and the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency, has been successfully concluded.
This year, the competition united 35 schools from 7 marzes of Armenia. They created their projects drawing inspiration from students' artwork depicting their favorite spring dishes. The competition has once again become a platform for promoting creativity, sustainable agriculture principles, and healthy eating habits. Students were also requested to form agro-clubs to enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing.
This year’s innovation was the Best Windowsill Garden nomination, designed for schools in colder regions that cannot cultivate gardens in spring due to climatic conditions.
The organizers consulted participants throughout the competition. Thus, a special webinar was held to present the terms of the competition and to answer the arising questions.
By July 1, 2024, schools submitted project packages with necessary documents and photos that were evaluated by the Selection Committee, which included representatives from the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, local and international organizations (UN WFP, SIFI, the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency, the Fund for Armenian Relief, Green Lane NGO, and Armenia Tree Project).
Competition winners
The maximum number of points a participating school could achieve was 342.
Best School Mini Garden Nomination:
1st place — Vanadzor basic school №23 named after Admiral Isakov (Lori marz) — 326 points
2nd place — Mrgashen secondary school (Kotayk marz) — 319 points
3rd place — Nor Geghi secondary school №2 named after Yuri Yeritsyan — 311 points
Best Windowsill Garden:
Lanjaghbyur secondary school named after V. Adamyan (Gegharkunik marz)
Motivational nominations:
4th place — Meghradzor secondary school named after H. Hakobyan (Kotayk marz) — 303 points
5th place — Tsakkar secondary school (Gegharkunik marz) — 289 points
The winning school in the Best School Mini Garden nomination will receive a grant of USD 3000. The schools that took from 2nd to 5th places will receive equipment for the school canteen.
Additional nominations:
Regular participants: Gegharkunik village secondary school, Katnaghbyur village basic school (Kotayk marz), Ditavan village secondary school (Tavush marz), Gandzak village secondary school №2 (Gegharkunik marz).
Hanging Garden creative idea: Vanadzor basic school №21 named after Gai (Lori marz).
The award ceremony will be held in September, bringing together organizers, officials, participating schools, and students to celebrate and acknowledge the outstanding work and enthusiasm of all project participants. The organizers will announce the date in advance.
The Best School Mini Garden annual contest forms an integral part of the School Feeding Programme, striving to advance the establishment of school gardens across the country. This initiative not only seeks to enrich the traditional school meals by incorporating fresh, locally grown vegetables and herbs but also aims to cultivate children's curiosity in organic farming and impart fundamental knowledge about sustainable land utilization from an early stage. Through these efforts, the program aims to bring up a generation of students who are well-nourished, environmentally conscious, and skilled in agricultural practices.
The inaugural Best School Mini Garden competition took place in 2021, receiving enthusiastic feedback from participants including students, teachers, parents, and agricultural experts. Their interest and willingness to contribute prompted organizers to establish the competition as an annual event, improving the conditions of participation and making it increasingly appealing to schools. As 2024 marks the fourth year since the contest's inception, organizers are dedicated to continuing its growth and impact.