TENOM: June 16, 2026 – A school garden programme in Sabah aimed at fostering awareness of food security and encouraging entrepreneurial interest in agriculture among students is set to be significantly expanded from next year.
Sabah’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, said a proposal for the programme’s roll-out had been submitted to the Sabah Education Department for implementation through a strategic partnership between the two parties.
According to him, several schools offering agriculture as a subject at the upper secondary level have already initiated the school garden scheme as a pilot project.
“However, there are also schools that do not offer the subject, which is why the involvement of the Parent-Teacher Association is crucial in helping to implement the programme at the school level,” he told the media after attending the Kaamatan Festival and Teachers’ Day celebration at St Anthony’s Secondary School.
The minister explained that his ministry, through its officers and relevant agencies, had been instructed to provide support services and advisory guidance to schools interested in undertaking the project, in order to ensure it could be carried out in a more systematic and effective manner.
He added that if the programme’s implementation proceeded smoothly with the support of all parties, the ministry aimed to expand it comprehensively across the entire state of Sabah next year.
“This year, the main focus is on raising awareness among students about the importance of the agricultural sector not only as a source of food but also as an economic opportunity capable of generating income,” he said.
Jamawi also stressed that the aspect of food security needed to be instilled from school age so that younger generations understand the role of agriculture not just as a basic necessity, but also as a field of entrepreneurship with significant potential.
In an effort to strengthen the ministry’s approach, he said emphasis was also being placed on fieldwork, with a 60:40 ratio of time spent in the field versus in the office, to ensure officers gain a better understanding of the realities and challenges faced at the grassroots level.
In a separate development, the ministry is preparing to launch a digital platform, kebundapur.com, which will enable agricultural produce to be marketed directly to consumers without intermediary involvement.
Also present at the event were the chairman of St Anthony’s Secondary School Tenom, Samuel Stimin; the Community Development Leader for the Melalap state constituency, Denesly Justin; and local community leaders.
