Integrating the Rainforestation Farming Approach into the DepEd-ALS Curriculum in Negros Province, Philippines

In view of the pressing global concerns about the environment, the Philippine’s Department of Education (DepEd) has urged all its public and private schools to enhance environmental education by pursuing effective school-based activities that seek to preserve and protect the environment. To assist DepEd with this initiative, FENOr, which is headed by ELTI alumna Judith Alpuerto, is partnering with ELTI, VSU-ITEEM, and RISE to conduct an online training activity for coordinators of DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS). ALS is a parallel learning system in the Philippines that provides opportunities for out of school youth and adults (OSYA) to develop basic and functional literacy skills, and to access equivalent pathways to complete basic education. The number of OSYA taking advantage of ALS has been growing rapidly in recent years, particularly due to the pandemic. Through this training event, the DepEd ALS coordinators will receive a thorough introduction to Rainforestation Farming, which they will then integrate into a module for ALS training programs in Negros.