The award ceremony for the ‘Promoting Herbal Gardens in Schools – Best Herbal Garden’ competition was held on 10 December at ICIMOD to mark International Mountain Day (11 December). The competition was jointly organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in collaboration with the Private and Boarding Schools’ Organization in Nepal (PABSON). The competition was launched six months ago on World Environment Day (5 June 2010). The aim of the competition was to familiarise schoolchildren with herbs and their uses.

The competition had three linked components: Herbal Poster with Recipe,Herbal Profile, and Herbal Garden. The first two components were completed earlier in 2010. The final component, the Herbal Garden, was evaluated during three monitoring visits over the six-month competition period, the last of which was on 25 November 2010.

The awards for ‘Best Herbal Garden’ were presented by Dr Michael Kollmair, Programme Manager of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction division of ICIMOD, and Mr Juddha Bahadur Gurung, Member Secretary of the Governing Body of Trustees, NTNC, in a ceremony attended by students and teachers from 14 of the 15 participating schools, as well as representatives from NTNC, PABSON, and ICIMOD.

Winners

Winner: Vajra Academy

Special features: The entire school ground, which was initially a barren slope, was transformed into an herbal garden. All of the students of Vajra Academy were engaged in developing the garden. They students developed an innovative way of remembering the plant names – each student was given a scientific name of an herbal plant. On the final monitoring round, judges were also given an herbal plant name.

1st Runners Up: Suryodaya Jyoti Secondary School and Ullens School

Special features:

• Suryodaya Jyoti Secondary School had a wide variety of plants and the garden was extended between each monitoring visit.
• Ullens School stood out for its excellent labelling of plants, well-maintained garden, and wide variety of species.

2nd Runners Up: Loyalty Academy and Annal Jyoti Boarding School

Special features:

• Loyalty Academy had a well-maintained garden with an attractive display of tools and herbal profiles.
• Annal Jyoti Boarding School stood out for its wide variety of medicinal plants and use of organic manure. On each monitoring visit the judges found that the garden had been extended with herbal species.

Special Mentions: Rato Bangala and Aims Academy

Special features:

• Rato Bangala employed eco-friendly plant labelling and had a bulk display of several herbal species.
• AIMS Academy used vermicomposting and the children made a consistent effort to maintain the garden despite water shortages.

The winner was awarded a cash prize of NRs. 22,000, the first runners up received NRs. 10,000 each, and the second runners up NRs. 8000 each. The two special mentions received NRs. 5000 each, along with certificates and herbal plant saplings. All participating schools received International Mountain Day posters, brochures, and the International Mountain Day message from the ICIMOD Director General, as well as souvenirs and publications from the organisers, ICIMOD and NTNC.