EU4Youth: autumn inspires the participants of the “School Garden” project

“Autumn counts buds” says a Moldovan proverb, which, is the motto of the participants involved in “School Garden” project implemented with the support of the European Union, through the EU4Youth programme, and co-financed by the International Green Cross during 2018-2022.

The students, involved in the project, worked for a whole year to get a rich and healthy crop and had the opportunity to exhibit and even market their agricultural production at fairs and ecological festivals organised in September and October.

Thus, at the two big fairs – IarmarEco and Autumn of Potato 2021 – students and local coordinators from Oxentea Gymnasium, Dubasari rayon, Centre of Excellence in Horticulture and Agricultural Technologies from Taul, Donduseni rayon, “Dumitru Matcovschi” Gymnasium from Vadul lui Rascov, Soldanesti rayon and the “Grigore Vieru” Primary School from Stefan Voda offered the buyers fruits, vegetables, flowers and teas from medicinal plants, which they cultivated and packaged themselves.

The Cucurbitaceae Festival took place in Țaul, where for 4 days those interested could visit an open-air exhibition of fruit and vegetable sculptures. They also had the opportunity to taste various varieties of melons and pumpkins, as well as visit the greenhouses where they are grown.

An original exhibition was organised by the students of Rascaietii Noi Gymnasium, Stefan Voda rayon. Guided by their teachers and parents, the children made compositions from fruits, vegetables, seeds and flowers, all grown in the School Garden, the exhibition being properly named an event “Made in Moldova”. At the same time, traditional Moldovan meals prepared from pumpkin and beetroot were presented.

The agricultural products obtained within the eight educational institutions involved in the “School Garden” project are used in the menus of school canteens. Therefore, thanks to the support of the European Union, students have a healthy diet, obtained through ecological methods.

Project implementation partners are the National Environmental Centre of Moldova, the Green Cross of Belarus, the Green Cross of Ukraine, the John Paul II Foundation, Italy.