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Learning Garden Students Blossom into Organic Agriculture Heroes

Learning Garden graduates posing with their new certificates

Today, we witnessed our students who were participating in “Learning Gardens as a Tool for Development in Lebanon” blossom into young organic agriculture heroes! Fifteen kids who had previously participated in the series of workshops on organic agriculture in the Malaak NGO received their certificates.

Launched in June 2019, the project aims to strengthen the education and involvement of children and youth by developing their knowledge on nature and plants and building their capacities to increase their livelihood resilience through learning garden activities.

Gardening activities at the Malaak center in Halba

Over the course of the project, educational activities included workshops on inexpensive organic horticulture methods, local gardening practices, planting seasonal crops, designing gardens, establishing composting units as well as lessons on healthy nutrition, making mouneh, food preservation and environmental awareness.

Gardening activities at the Malaak center in Halba

The project “Learning Gardens as a Tool for Development in Lebanon” is implemented in partnership with the Danish NGO Zaher-Grow to Learn, Bouzourna Jouzourna (BZJ), SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon, Jibal and is supported by CISU – Civil Society Fund in Denmark. The workshops were conducted across various locations including the BZJ farm in Saadnayel, ActionAid Arab Region (AAAR) centers in Joub Jannine and Baalbeck and the Malaak center in Halba.

Gardening activities at the Malaak center in Halba

We’re proud of all of the students that have completed the program. As successful graduates they will be able to bring their new knowledge and skills back to their families and communities and hopefully will be equipped with the know-how to create agricultural spaces that improve their food security by increasing food availability all year round.

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LEARNING GARDENS AS TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT IN LEBANON

Busy kids preparing the garden for the planting season in Malaak center
The kids at Malaak center installing the irrigation system before planting vegetables and aromatic herbs

With the Danish NGO Zaher-Grow to Learn, FHF continues to promote organic agriculture among youth and kids through learning gardens. The project entitled “Learning Gardens as a Tool for Development in Lebanon” was launched in June 2019 and aimed “to strengthen the education and involvement of the participating children and youth, to develop their knowledge on nature and its plants and to make them build up capacity and increase their livelihood resilience through the learning garden activities”. The project is supported by CISU – Social Society Fund in Denmark.

The project is implemented in partnership with several local NGOs like Bouzourna Jouzourna (BZJ), SOILS Permaculture Lebanon, and Jibal who worked on designing the gardens and conducting the gardening workshops with FHF in BZJ farm in Saadnayel, Action Aid Arabia (AAAR) centers in Jeb Jennine and Baalbeck and Malaak center in Halba.

  • Designing the garden in AAAR Baalbeck center
  • Preparing the soil in AAAR Baalbeck center

Educational activities included workshops on organic, inexpensive methods with respect to traditional, local garden practices, as well as on healthy nutrition, food preservation and environmental awareness.

Trainers, coordinator and volunteer in Malaak garden
  • Training on food processing in Baalbeck

  • Training on food processing in Baalbeck

  • Training on food processing in Jeb Jannine

  • Training on food processing in Jeb Jannine

FHF team who is in charge of the gardening activities in Malaak, conducted twenty workshops in Halba on designing the garden, planting seasonal crops (tomato, cherry tomato, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, green cabbage, chicory aka hindbeh), establishing a composting unit, making mouneh, learning about biodiversity, preparing bio-pesticides, etc. Fifteen boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 attended the workshops and participated in planting the garden of the center and taking part of the daily follow-up activities with help from the volunteers and the local coordinator.

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making

  • Enjoying the first harvest and food making
  • Workshop on biodiversity in Malaak center
  • Making bird feeders for the garden

Through their active participation in the garden, it is expected that the children and youth will obtain ownership of the gardens while their feeling of responsibility and self-esteem will increase as well. They will learn about inexpensive, organic gardening methods which they can bring back home to their families and communities, and will hopefully be able to improve their food security by increasing food availability all year round. Learning gardens can hence be considered as a coping mechanism in severe food insecurity situations, which develop new skills for the participating kids and youth to enable them to create agricultural spaces in their settlements in Lebanon, and in Syria when back home.

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Gardening sessions organized by FHF in collaboration with IECD

Planting strawberries and basil

The kids are happy with their garden!

During the months of June and July 2017, the foundation was pleased to collaborate with the European Institute for Cooperation and Development (iecd) and introduce gardening classes in the summer school program held in the educational center Janah in Sabtieh.

Practical session in class: how does a seed evolve into a plant?

Around 90 students from Syrian refugee communities benefited from these classes which aimed at introducing the basics of agriculture and teach the young students the production of healthy food.

Identifying the different types of soil

The students were eager to start their own vegetable garden which included seasonal veggies, aromatic plants and ornamental flowers as well.

The girls deciding on what to plant

They learned how to identify pests, beneficial insects and weeds and how to make their own compost!

Waiting for their turn to plant

FHF team was very happy to know that many of the students planted small gardens at home and implemented what they have been taught!

The kids even made traps to monitor pests

Tomatoes, strawberries, basil and more!

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Gardening sessions in “Yalla! Pour Les Enfants” summer camp

The kids learned how to use a vertical planting kit when agricultural land is not available

The kids planted onions in re-used plastic bottles
The kids planted onions in re-used plastic bottles

Over the past two weeks, FHF has delivered sessions on gardening to unprivileged Lebanese and Syrian children, as part of the summer camp activities organized at the educational center in Aley managed by Yalla! Pour Les Enfants.

Learning how roots grow by planting onion bulbs in water and following-up on their evolution
Learning how roots grow by planting onion bulbs in water and following-up on their evolution

Students, teachers and parents attended the training sessions that were given by FHF experts, and participated in the practicum that was organized in the small garden of the school.

Now that the onions have developed roots, let's plant them! :)
Now that the onions have developed roots, let’s plant them! 🙂

The project partners hope to raise enough funds to rehabilitate the school garden, hence enabling the kids to produce healthy and organic food starting October, when they are back to school.

The little girls planting seeds under the supervision of "Oum Maher" a Syrian mother who is now taking care of the garden
The little girls planting seeds under the supervision of “Oum Maher” a Syrian mother who is now taking care of the garden

Everybody wants to participate! Agriculture seems to be so interesting! :)
Everybody wants to participate! Agriculture seems to be so interesting! 🙂

Little gardeners at work
Little gardeners at work

For more info on how you can help or donate, please contact us.