Tenom: A school garden programme aimed at cultivating awareness of food security and agricultural entrepreneurship among students is expected to be expanded on a large scale across Sabah, beginning next year.
State Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said a proposal had been submitted to the Sabah Education Department for implementation through collaboration with his Ministry.
Advertisement
.gif)
He said several schools offering agriculture as a Form Four subject had already embarked on the initiative.
“However, there are also schools that do not offer agriculture as a subject. We are encouraging Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to play a more active role in supporting schools, while our Ministry will provide advisory services,” he said after attending the Kaamatan Festival and Teachers’ Day celebration at SM St Anthony, here.
Jamawi, who is also Melalap Assemblyman, said all agriculture officers and agencies under the Ministry had been instructed to assist schools interested in developing school garden projects.
“I have directed all agriculture officers and officers from agencies under the Ministry to assist schools.
“If the programme is implemented systematically and receives the cooperation of all parties, we may roll it out on a larger scale next year,” he said.
For this year, Jamawi said the Ministry’s focus was on raising awareness among the younger generation about the importance of agriculture.
He said food security awareness should be nurtured from an early age so that students understand agriculture is not only a source of food but also a business sector with income-generating potential.
“Food security awareness must begin at an early stage so that our children understand that agriculture is a business and provides food for everyone in our communities,” he said.
Jamawi also highlighted the Ministry’s emphasis on field-based work, with officers spending 60 per cent of their time in the field and 40 per cent in the office.
He said the approach enabled officers to better understand issues on the ground and resolve them more effectively.
“I want to bring the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry closer to rural communities because they are the main users and producers of agricultural, fisheries and food products,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jamawi said the Ministry was preparing to launch the digital platform, kebundapur.com, to help agricultural producers market their products directly to consumers.
He said the platform was expected to reduce reliance on middlemen and increase returns for farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen.
