The competition is part of the School Feeding Programme and aims to promote the practice of creating school gardens at the national level. This will help not only to diversify the standard school meal menu with natural fresh vegetables and greens, but also to instill in children an interest in organic farming from an early age and teach the basics of land use.
The winner of the competition will receive a $3,000 grant to develop and improve their school garden.
Participants will have to go through two stages of the competition. By May 18, the schools are expected to submit the Registration form, by September 15 they are expected to submit the project package of their school gardens, and on November 1, wait for the announcement of the winners.
Detailed information about the competition, rules and requirements for registration of applications can be found at the LINK
All questions about the organization of the competition can be asked by email: minigarden.armenia@gmail.com
This year the theme of the competition is an organic approach to farming: "The Organic School Garden - A Source of Health and Well-Being". Organic farming is a form of agricultural activity that is becoming more and more widespread every year around the world.
This approach is designed to improve the ecological situation on the planet by taking care of the soil and all its inhabitants, using gentle methods of cultivating the land, preserving the natural diversity of cultivated crops and completely abandoning the use of toxic substances, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. This, in turn, allows to maintain soil fertility and obtain organically pure products with a higher nutritional value. Organically grown vegetables, fruits and herbs are especially beneficial for children's health.
The first competition of school mini gardens was held in 2021. Positive feedback from the participants - schoolchildren, teachers, parents, agricultural specialists - showed interest in the project and readiness to develop and support it. In this regard, we decided to make the competition an annual tradition.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska: Pexels