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GUATEMALA / SCHOOL GARDEN
STORY: GUATEMALA / SCHOOL GARDEN
TRT: 3:46
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTION: NONE
LANGUAGE: SPANISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA / 12 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA / 15 JULY 2018, CHIQUIMULA MUNICIPALITY, CHIQUIMULA PROVINCE, GUATEMALA
11 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
1. Wide shot, mountains
2. Wide shot, exterior of Dulce’s home
3. Various shots, Dulce María Díaz Pérez getting ready for school
4. Various shots, Dulce having breakfast with her brother, grandfather and aunt
5. Wide shot, Dulce and her brother walking to school
6. Various shots, Dulce in class
12 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“Our school has a school garden. My classmates and I, together with our teachers, take care of the garden.”
11 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
8. Various shots, students gather at school garden
12 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“We harvest the crops whenever they are ready and then, we eat what we harvested.”
11 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
10. Various shots, students harvesting vegetables from school garden with other students
12 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“School gardens can also help teach us different values, like teamwork, collaboration, and many other values.”
11 JULY 2018, TEJUTLA MUNICIPALITY, SAN MARCOS DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
12. Various shots, mothers preparing food in school kitchen
13. Various shots, students eating at school
14. Various shots, Dulce doing her homework with her sister and brother
15 JULY 2018, CHIQUIMULA MUNICIPALITY, CHIQUIMULA PROVINCE, GUATEMALA
15. Various shots, children eating at school
Dulce, a sixth-grade student in Tejutla, San Marcos, in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, is learning about sustainable farming, nutrition and more, through the backyard garden at her school.
Dulce María Díaz Pérez is 12 years old and loves to read. She also likes to garden.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“Our school has a school garden. My classmates and I, together with our teachers, take care of the garden.”
Dulce’s school garden is part of a nationwide nutrition-sensitive school feeding initiative which links schools, local family farmers and parents associations to provide nutritious and varied meals to school children across the country. It follows the Sustainable Healthy Schools model from the Brazil-FAO International and South-South Cooperation Programme in the region and was first introduced in Guatemala in 2014.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“We harvest the crops whenever they are ready and then, we eat what we harvested.”
These initiatives have been enhanced by Guatemala’s first-ever school-feeding law, which came into effect in 2018 following efforts made by the Guatemalan Chapter of the Parliamentary Front against Hunger and FAO. This achievement was the result of significant inter-sectorial and institutional coordination, consensus-building with key sectors, and evidence-based advocacy.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dulce María Díaz Pérez:
“School gardens can also help teach us different values, like teamwork, collaboration, and many other values.”
Dulce comes from a family of small-scale farmers, who also work as truck drivers and mechanics to boost their incomes. Her grandfather produces the maize for tortillas used to prepare her favourite school meal back at home, tamales with vegetables.
After the start of the school-feeding initiative, Dulce has noticed an improvement in her life.
Despite their link with the land, in fact, many farming families suffer from malnutrition and other health problems due to a lack of nutrition and access to adequate income and healthcare. Like many women, Dulce’s mother died due to childbirth complications, following delivery of Dulce’s baby brother.
The school-feeding initiative aims to promote healthy and culturally-sensitive menus and public purchases of produce from local family farmers. It encourages parent and community involvement, improved dining and kitchen infrastructure and cooperation across various public and private sectors.
The school garden has helped Dulce and her classmates to develop a greater respect for food by showing them what it takes to grow and harvest even one vegetable.
By investing in the whole community, FAO is empowering families, down to the youngest, to take action and be a part of the global Zero Hunger effort.
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