As part of the Faculty’s celebration of the International Day of Forests and the International Women’s Day, the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) will be formally launching its FMDS Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. (Growing Appreciation toward Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship and Nutrition).

This is an initiative of the Faculty led by Dean Joane Serrano in support of sustainable production and consumption, and in contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger. It aims to help communities build home gardens by applying multiple strategies with the end goal of growing appreciation toward resilience, development, entrepreneurship, and nutrition. The FMDS Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. was developed with the help of Dr. Jabez Joshua Flores, an alumnus of UPOU and an expert in Permaculture.

Community or home gardens can increase the availability and accessibility of fresh, healthy and diverse food for low-income households and can improve dietary quality by encouraging consumption of fruits and vegetables. It is a great initiative in contribution to SDG 2 at the local level.

Tomatoes, eggplant, okra, squash, pechay, radish, green beans, water spinach, mint, variegated oregano, lagundi, rosemary, dill, and thyme are just some of the vegetables and herbs planted in the FMDS Perma G.A.R.D.E.N.

As part of the launch and opening of the garden to visitors and the public, QR codes containing information about the plants in the garden will be situated around the area. These QR codes will provide visitors with knowledge on the origin, uses, benefits, and local recipes that can be made using these plants.