The study will provide detailed analysis of the scope, gaps and enabling interventions and recommendations for the implementation of HGSF in BARMM.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcome the support from the Government of Finland for the conduct of a study on the viability of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). 

The study, to be led by the Finnish Centre of Expertise in Education and Development (FinCEED), will provide detailed analysis of the scope, gaps and enabling interventions and recommendations for the implementation of HGSF in BARMM.

A further grant provided through the Embassy of Finland in Manila will enable the engagement of a national consultant who will support the FinCEED expert in assessing the viability of establishing an integrated programme on HGSF in BARMM, including the conduct of all relevant field and preparatory activities, among others. They will also conduct consultations with relevant national and BARMM authorities, communities and basic education teachers and parents in the Bangsamoro Region, and with FAO, UNICEF, and WFP.

According to the National Nutrition Council, BARMM has a high prevalence of underweight school-age children at 38.1 percent and stunting at 44 percent, which is the highest in the country. Wasting among this age group also hovers at 6.3 percent above national average.

Relatedly, the Fill the Nutrient Gap study by WFP revealed that 58 percent of BARMM households could not afford nutritious diet, contributing significantly to the high stunting rate among school-age children in the region. Currently, only an estimated 56 percent of BARMM children are enrolled in the primary education. According to UNICEF, Child poverty is high at 63.1 percent and 1.6 million out of 2.5 million children are living below the poverty line.

The HGSF hopes to address this nutrition gap and child poverty gaps and low enrolment by providing meals that are safe, diverse and nutritious, sourced locally from smallholders. This holistic approach would not only tackle the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition in school-age children in BARMM but also benefit the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and other supply chain players such as cooks and caterers, as well as increase the resilience of communities to global shocks and contribute to a more sustainable food system.

Mr. Juha Pyykkö, Ambassador of Finland to the Philippines, assures of the Finnish government’s support to the HGSF and other relevant strategies in the country as part of Finland’s commitment to the multi-country Global School Meals Coalition, which aims to ensure that every child receives a healthy, nutritious meal. Finland co-chairs the coalition with France since its launch after the UN Food Security Summit held in September 2021.

“Finland is a pioneer of school feeding, and the Finnish system is considered a model example of well-implemented school meals. Mr. Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland, acted as a global champion for school feeding, supporting the work of the WFP in 2021 when building the international coalition around the theme. The Philippines has joined the Coalition, which is important. Now it is great that this high-level work gets concretized in this beautiful country and especially in BARMM, contributing to the Region’s sustainable development”, said Ambassador Pyykkö.

“This  support from Finland is an important first step in identifying ways to effectively deploy HGSF to address the fundamental problems of malnutrition and low enrolment among Bangsamoro youth, which is also having an impact on their academic performance,” said Ms Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, FAO Representative ad interim in the Philippines.

According to a World Bank study on “Unlocking the Potential of the Bangsamoro People through the Alternative Learning System”, while almost all Filipino children start elementary school at age six, only 70 percent start school on time in BARMM. In 2017, elementary school completion rate in the region was 54 percent, which is well below the national average of 94 percent.

“Additionally, the deployment of an integrated HGSF in the region will also open up additional market streams for local smallholders’ produce, which will be used as inputs to the HGSF programme. This, in turn, will provide new livelihood and income opportunities for economically vulnerable smallholder farming families and processors in the BARMM communities,” Ms Wertz-Kanounnikoff added.  

“We are grateful to the Government of Finland and its people for this timely contribution which comes on the heels of the recently concluded global Transforming Education Summit in New York.  The Summit aimed to address the global crisis in education caused by the pandemic. School feeding is one of the transformative ways that will enable us to help students recover from the impact of COVID on their education,” said WFP Representative and Country Director Brenda Barton.

“Poor nutrition can delay children’s physical growth and development throughout childhood and adolescence. Malnutrition during middle childhood and adolescence has long-term physical, social, mental and economic consequences. This support from the Finnish Government will be a critical step to ensure that nutritious and safe diets, essential nutrition services and positive nutrition practices help school children grow, learn and stay physically active,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov says.