The Plant Nursery Project

The Plant Nursery Project is a food and nutrition security initiative that provides free vegetable and herb seedlings to local communities in Siargao, an island located in Surigao del Norte province in the Philippines. Following the island’s lockdown for COVID-19 in March 2020, the project was initiated to facilitate subsistence farming, which islanders have increasingly turned to as a source of food. In particular, the project worked to address barriers of subsistence farming related to the availability and access of diverse, quality seeds. 

Key outputs: 
  • Over 13,500 seedlings have been donated to local communities in Siargao. 
  • A total of 1,097 local people across 14 barangays  and 3 municipalities have received seedlings. 
  • 25 different types of vegetable/herb plants have been offered to locals. 
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Who is involved in
the project?​
The Plant Nursery Project was founded and led by Alessia Kockel and Tyler Palov in partnership with lokal.lab — a not-for-profit organization that supports and empowers communities in Siargao Island through impactful and sustainable projects that promote the local culture. Lokal.lab provided the space for the plant nursery at Lokal Stay, along with logistical support. Alessia and Tyler managed the day-to-day operations, as well as the fundraising campaign for the project. Funding for the project was provided by private donors, mainly from Canada and the USA.

The project employed two local women, Irene Malinao and Shirely Batistil, whose combined knowledge and experience in farming contributed significantly towards the success of the project. Tourists and foreigners on the island also contributed in various ways, from planting seeds to providing vehicles for seedling deliveries. Additionally, barangay council members supported the project by identifying households where seedling donations should be prioritized.  
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How has the project helped local people?
The Plant Nursery Project was developed to address food and nutrient security risks in Siargao, which have worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. The loss of jobs and income from COVID-19 has reduced household food consumption and nutrition, placing vulnerable groups at higher risk of hunger and malnutrition. Subsistence farming supplements household food needs, but the availability and access of seeds is a major challenge. 
  • Seed stocks of vegetable and herb plants have been depleted on the island.
  • Access to seeds has been affected by disruptions to shipping and transportation.
  • Limited supplies of seeds tend to be F1 hybrid varieties (rather than open-pollination varieties), which cannot be saved for future harvests.
  • Seed costs are financially unaffordable or unattractive to many people living in poverty.
Addressing these barriers to subsistence farming is key to food and nutrient security. The Plant Nursery Project has helped alleviate such barriers through providing free vegetable and herb seedlings to poor and vulnerable communities. The project has strengthened food security, providing ample supplies of seedlings to supplement household food needs. It has also enhanced nutrition security, offering locals a range of edible plants to support a more varied and nutritious diet. Some of these plants (e.g., tomato, eggplant, chili plants) were open-pollination varieties, meaning their seeds can be saved for future use. Coupled with the practice of ‘seed saving’, these plants have the potential to feed local families for generations.  
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How many seedling
​have been donated to local people?
A total of 13,550 seedlings, consisting of 25 varieties of vegetable and herb plants, were donated to 1,097 people in Siargao. Most seedlings were provided to locals during truck deliveries, the rest were obtained directly from the plant nursery in Burgos. Recipients of seedlings included people from 3 different municipalities (Burgos, San Isidro, and Santa Monica) and 14 barangays. ​​
Number of people that received seedlings per municipality.
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Number of donated seedlings per municipality.
How will the project continue to support local communities? 
The Plant Nursery Project has supported numerous subsistence farmers in Siargao, providing them with an abundance and diverse array of vegetable and herb plants to grow their own food. Several of the plants donated to farmers were open-pollination varieties, meaning the seeds that will be produced by these plants are suitable for ‘seed saving’—the practice of collecting and saving seeds for future use. Despite the proven benefits of seed saving, most subsistence farmers are unaware of the value of seed saving and lack access to regionally appropriate varieties of open-pollination and locally-produced seeds. To address this lack of knowledge and capacity, the Plant Nursery Project has developed a training workshop on seed saving. The workshop is anticipated to increase the use of seed saving on the island, which in turn can strengthen food and nutrition security.

The first workshop was held on August 23, 2020 at Lokal Stay in Burgos municipality. The 2-hour workshop consisted of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. Participants included 20 women from Poblacion 1 and 2 who are actively engaged in subsistence farming. Information pamphlets and open-pollination seeds were given to each participant. Participants were also provided instructions and materials (e.g., soil, seeds, containers) to practice different techniques of planting and germinating seeds. The success of the first workshop has spurred interest to facilitate similar trainings in Burgos and other municipalities in Siargao. Workshops will be held on a request basis, but are dependent on funding and travel restrictions. 
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"We have already harvested many vegetables from donated seedlings, which has really helped us meet our day-to-day needs.​"
-Quote from a subsistence farmer in Burgos

​​"Thank you so much for the workshop. It was a big help for us because we got to learn a lot about seeds and how to grow and take care of plants."
-Feedback from a 'seed saving' workshop participant