HOME GARDENING AMIDST PANDEMIC (HGAP): AN APPROACH IN ADDRESSING STUDENT’S PERSONAL WELFARE

Despite many kinds of research, literature, and journals presenting the benefits of gardening as a strategy to enhance household food security and nutrition, the problem brought by the present scenario especially to the students resulted in the conduct of this study. Using the descriptive method of research, the researcher investigated the relationship of home gardening amidst pandemic as an approach in addressing student’s personal welfare as to physical, emotional, and social attributes. Utilizing a questionnaire were analyzed using Mean, SD, and Pearson correlation coefficient. It was found that student’s engagement in home gardening is very high in terms of student’s interest, parent’s initiative, and teacher’s motivation. Moving on to sustainability of home gardening practices in terms of family’s support, school’s support, and LGU’s support, give a very high remarks and was recorded for family’s support, and school’s support and high remarks for LGU’s support. Furthermore, a very high remark was noted for the status of student’s personal welfare as to physical, emotional, and social attributes. The study concluded the established relationship between home gardening engagement and sustainability of home gardening practices in addressing student’s personal welfare as to physical, emotional, and social was statistically significant. Thus, the hypothesis which states that there is no significant relationship between home gardening engagement and sustainability of home gardening practices in addressing student’s personal welfare as to physical, emotional, and social attributes should be rejected. Based on the findings it is recommended that in order to maintain student engagement in home gardening, parents and teachers should provide continuous motivation by giving rewards and recognition for their effort. Home gardening should be widened and strengthened by the school, community, and family. Local government units (LGU) must support home gardening in their community to help families in their food production especially in this time of the pandemic. KEYWORDS: home gardening, personal welfare, student engagement, sustainability, practices, school, parents, teacher, Local government unit (LGU)