Liza Marcos, Angara launch nationwide school hydroponics project

MANILA, Philippines — The first lady, Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, and Education Secretary Sonny Angara, together with the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), launched a nationwide school-based hydroponics project at Las Piñas National High School and Parañaque National High School.

According to a DepEd statement on Thursday, the project, part of the Agri Tayo, Lab for All program, introduces modern, space-efficient, and climate-resilient farming technologies to public schools.

The first lady and Angara inspected the newly installed greenhouse units at Las Piñas National High School and interacted with students.

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According to Angara, hydroponics — which uses up to 90 percent less water than traditional farming — serves as a vital climate adaptation strategy against the severe impacts of Super El Niño while driving sustainable food production.

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He also stressed that the project modernizes the Department of Education’s (DepEd) long-standing Gulayan sa Paaralan Program (GPP) to better equip learners for climate extremes and food sustainability challenges.

“Hydroponics contributes greatly to modernizing and making vegetable planting more efficient in our schools. Not all schools have adequate space or fertile soil. So this initiative is valuable in making the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program possible even with limited space,” Angara said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“This is also great for conserving water. Hydroponics uses 90 percent less water than traditional farming, making it a critical buffer against climate extremes like Super El Niño. More than that, it widens the knowledge of the community in modern agriculture,” he added.

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Funded through the Social Environmental Fund generated from reclamation projects, the first phase aims to establish hydroponics greenhouse facilities in 200 schools nationwide, scaling up to 700 units overall to tackle spatial and agricultural challenges in urban and coastal communities.

Aside from supplementing the School-Based Feeding Program with freshly harvested vegetables, the greenhouse facilities are designed to serve as hands-on living laboratories.

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Through experiential learning, students can directly observe plant growth, nutrient management, water utilization, and photosynthesis, thereby integrating real-world science into their lessons.

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The project also supports Agri-Fishery Arts and agro-entrepreneurship electives under the strengthened Senior High School curriculum, helping learners cultivate practical livelihood and technical-vocational skills.

For the first phase, beneficiary schools in Metro Manila and various provinces — including Cavite, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Pampanga, and Masbate — will each receive a hydroponics greenhouse facility.

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Las Piñas City National High School and Parañaque National High School received two units each to maximize student reach and community engagement. /atm