Most of the primary schools participating in Plenty’s Garden-based Agriculture for Toledo’s Environment (GATE) program are actively working in their gardens, with some of the more experienced ones already producing food this season. Every one of our staff and volunteers has been active in making this program successful. With the dedicated help of long term Plenty volunteer Ryan Burgess, the garden at Forest Home school has become a model productive organic garden. The School Feeding Program (SFP) committee recognized Ryan recently for his good work at this site. Ryan has worked at the school at least twice each week since September with students and staff.

Plenty provided each of ten GATE schools with a set of 13 large color botany education posters to complement the classroom component of GATE. The posters depict the inner workings of soils, seeds and plants and have been a big hit with teachers and students.

As projected, three of the older GATE school gardens are now “well rooted” in their communities and will be graduating from the program at the end of December! These include the village schools of Golden Stream, Laguna, and Mafredi. Plenty’s extension support will end, but if we can raise enough funding we plan to assist Golden Stream and Laguna schools with their water and irrigation system needs. For example, Engineers Without Borders has donated a water pump for Laguna school, but wiring and piping to bring water to the school kitchen, and from there to the garden is still needed.

The graduation of three schools allows Plenty Belize to focus more attention on the newer schools and to bring three additional ones into the program. San Felipe Village School has been a focal point this fall due to the kitchen construction which is now complete (See article in this bulletin). Their fairly small (30 by 30) garden is off to a good start, with raised beds and muskmelon, watermelon, cilantro, beans, and pumpkin planted. The new garden at Santa Anna Village School is also developing quickly, although access to the garden is very diffcult in rainy weather, as you must cross what is practically a swamp to reach it! Beans and cucumbers have been planted. Plenty provided both schools with some basic hand tools, dolomite and rice trash. Little Flower School has cleared and fenced a garden area, and students will be working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays each week. We have provided a variety of initial tools to this school, as well as bags of dolomite. Midway Village School has also formally asked for whatever assistance we can give them to develop a garden. So, as the word gets out, there is always more work to do! Thanks to all Plenty’s supporters for your partnership in making these school gardens a reality.

1. Laptop computers for teaching computer skills and to run off the solar power we installed at the school in San Jose (working please, minimum 266 Pentium chip, Windows 98).
2. Digital video camera and digital camera for project documentation.
3. Children’s books relating to gardening.