On the morning of May 28th, LIN and Narrow the Gap supporters visited Ceporer Hoc Mon’s Community Vegetable Garden, a project that received VND 50 million from the Narrow the Gap Community Fund.
“The Community Vegetable Garden” project set out to create a sample community garden and hosted communication and training activities to encourage beneficiaries to create a homegrown clean food resource of their own. The project was also designed to promote environmental protection and food security.
Starting in March, the team began by focusing on soil improvement with guidance from two agricultural engineers. A group of Volunteers dug up the land, sowed the seeds, and educated the children that participate in Ceporer Hoc Mon’s programs about vegetable and planting techniques. Children learned that planting vegetables is not difficult, even at home, and such activities can help the environment and improve local communities. Parents of these children also received instructions on how they could fertilize their land and prepare it for growing vegetables…
“We are interested in many forms of small gardens, such as:
foam box, large cylinders and hanging plants. Each garden is marked by a small ice-cream stick to let people know whose garden is whose and what species are planted there.” Different households were invited to plant different kinds of vegetable in the shared plot to foster a sense of community spirit through practical training sessions.
Ceporer Hoc Mon’s Project Manager, Ms. Lan, said: “When LIN approves a project, I always come up with 2 or 3 supporters.” This time was no exception. Two friends agreed to contribute their land to expand the garden so they could invite more parents and children, from Hoc Mon and the surrounding area, to participate. CEPORER Hoc Mon is thinking about charging modest fees for participation in the Community Garden as a way of ensuring the sustainability of this project.
