ICM Livelihood Trainers Manual v5

VHL Program:
Livelihood Teachers Manual

ICM’s Vision

ICM is called to release the poorest of the poor in the Philippines from spiritual,
emotional and physical bondage.

ICM’s Livelihood Vision

ICM’s Livelihood Vision is to see ICM communities increase their savings and income
through sustainable small-scale business ventures.

ICM’s Livelihood Key Verses
2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your
righteousness.”

Titus 3:14 “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in
order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.”

ICM’s Livelihood Response to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

MDG Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1A: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
Targets 1B: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women
and young people
Target 1C: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

ICM’s Response: Sustainable Farming, Snack Businesses, Cleaning Product
Businesses and Microfinance Partnerships

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Table of Contents
Heading Page Number
ICM’s Livelihood Targets 3
1. Orientation & Snack 4–5
2. Vermicast 6–7
3. Cleaning Product (or Snack) 8–9
4. Vermicomposting 10
5. Vermi Bin (or Snack) 11
6. Cleaning Product (or Snack) 12 – 13
7. Cast Harvesting & Container Gardening 14 – 15
8. Cleaning Product (or Snack) 16 – 17
9. Plant Management 18 – 19
10. Vinegar (or Snack) & Garden Vision 20 – 21
11. Vermicast Tea 22 – 23
12. CRH (or Snack) 24 – 25
13. Seed Banking & Soil Maintenance 26 – 27
14. Marketing (& Vinegar Harvesting) 28 – 29
15. Business Opportunity & Personal Visioning 30
16. Graduation & Award Giving 31
Appendix 32 – 40

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ICM’s Livelihood Targets
Topic Targets
1 Community Garden
Community Garden
10 Recipients Regularly Participate in the Community Garden
20 Recipients Start a Container Garden
Personal Garden 10 Recipients have a Personal Garden Until the End of VHL
7 Recipients Continue their Personal Garden at least 3-4months after VHL
Plant Management 10 Recipients Produce and Use Botanical Pesticides
Seed Banking 15 Recipients Practicing Seed Banking
1-15 Pre-Composting Sack or Area
Vermicomposting
1-15 Practicing Vermicomposting
Vermicast Tea 10 Recipient Use Vermicast Tea
CRH (Optional) 1 Community Carbonizer being Used Regularly
Vinegar (Optional) 3 Recipients Make Vinegar
3-21 Recipients Start a Snack Business
Snacks (1-7) 1-14 Recipients Continue a Snack Business Until the End of VHL
1-7 Recipient Continues their Business at least 3-4 months after VHL
10-30 Recipients to Sell a Cleaning Product
Cleaning Products 1-3 Group(s) of Recipients to continue cleaning product business at least 3-4
months after VHL
Personal Visioning 31 Recipients Write Down their Personal Goals and Visions
VHL Graduation 25 Recipients Complete VHL

Livelihood Monthly Income Targets
Vegetables Vermicast Snack Cleaning Product
Location # Income Sacks Income Income Income Total Income
Urban 15 !420.00 Minimal Minimal !1,920.00 !403.00 !2,743.00
Semi-Urban 40 !1,120.00 1 !250.00 !1,440.00 !195.00 !3,005.00
Rural 75 !2,100.00 2 !500.00 !960.00 !130.00 !3,690.00

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LESSON 1: ORIENTATION & SNACK
Expectations: Targets:
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1 community garden,
1. Understand the purpose & vision of VHL 2. 3 recipients start a turon business,
training program, 3. 1-2 recipients continue their turon business until
2. Understand the purpose of a community the end of VHL,
garden, 4. 1 recipient continues their turon business at least
3. Make turon snacks. 3-4 months after VHL.

REMINDERS: Bring turon ingredients to cook and 3 kits to disperse along with any necessary cooking
equipment.

Before the Lesson: Set up all the things to cook turon. Borrow cooking tools from the pastor, if needed.
STEP 1:
Introduction • Introduce yourself and your role.
• Inform them that all of our livelihood teaching is very practical and can help them
Timing: 5 minutes produce more food and income.
VHL Orientation • Every week this ICM team will visit your area.
• In the mornings (or afternoon) we’ll be visiting a few of your houses to see how
things are going. You can ask us any questions during those visits.
• In the afternoon (or morning) we’ll all gather here to learn 3 lessons each week:
Values, Health & Livelihood. Each lessons is only 30 minutes! We know many of
you need to look after your family so our aim is not to take more than 2 hours.
• Each week you’ll learn new things and be given a chance to put them into practice.
All the meetings build on top of each other, so please make sure you always send
a family representative to participate each week! If you ever have a question or
would like some help, we are here to serve you. That includes the pastor and
counselors. We are all excited to take this journey with you and become a family.
Timing: 10 minutes
STEP 2: Teaching Outline (30 minutes):
Content Trainers notes
Snack: Turon • Before we share with you a bit about what you’ll be learning in the coming weeks,
I’d like to make Turon with you all! Do we have any expert turon makers here?
Come help me.
Show all the ingredients.
Teach them the steps as you make it.
• It’s only costs P___ to make 1 piece and they can be sold for P___. See if it tastes
good enough to make into a business!
• If you are interested in producing and selling turon, please put your name on a
piece of paper. I’ll draw 3 names out of the mix and they’ll receive a small kit of
ingredients to make and sell turon! The value of the kits/ingredients is worth P___.
The P____ will need to be repaid in 4 gives of P____ each. This should give you
enough time to grow your business and repay ICM!
Draw the 3 names and have them sign a payment card.
• At the end of today’s program, I’ll give you your kits and talk a bit more about
Timing: 15 minutes starting your business.
Estimated Financial Forecast for SNACKS
Piece Cost SRP Inventory/Capital Pieces of Product Income Net Income Weekly Income Debt
!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00

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Livelihood Orientation • Soon we’ll all be able to share fresh turon!
• In the coming 4 months, you’ll learn how to produce your own vegetables,
household cleaning products & some will start a snack business!
• You’ll also learn production and marketing tips so that you can earn some money
from your hard work!
• We’ll be providing many of the materials you’ll need during the lessons, but you
will also need to provide some of them. For example next week, we’ll teach you all
how to make high quality organic fertilizer so we need you all to bring 1 plastic bag
of a mixture of the following organic wastes/materials:
Wet market wastes, ipil-ipil leaves, kakawate leaves, ampalaya leaves, manure, rice
straw, seaweed, seafood scraps, non-oily food scraps, eggshells, bones, banana
peels, banana trunk, bat guano, rotten non-citrus fruit, sawdust, cuttings, weeds,
Timing: 5 minutes paper & cardboard.
Community Gardening 1 of my previous ICM communities I worked with were able to earn as much as
Tip: Share the story of P_____ in 1 month by operating a community garden!! The average ICM community
why your previous garden earns around P1000 a month, once it’s setup. How does it work?
community was so • The Ptr and you should look for unused land that can be used for planting.
successful! • Ask the Brgy Capt or a local wealthy family if your group can borrow some land.
• Once you secure some land, ICM will partner with you to grow healthy vegetables.
Timing: 5 Minutes Note: ICM will provide seeds, worms and technical assistance for the garden.
Vision Casting • We want to get to know each of you, your families and your situations.
• We want to remind you that there is hope for a better future and we want to join
along side you for the next 4 months to help you achieve some victories in your
life.
• We think each of you is worth our time and the donors money because we believe
you are all created in the image of our great God.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created human beings in his own image. In the
image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Timing: 5 minutes • We are excited to partner with all of you.
Reminder: Everyone should bring at least 1 plastic bag of organic wastes!

After the Lesson
Snack Producers Meet with the snack producers and discuss their plan for selling their product.
Encourage them to turnover that capital daily so that they can maximize their capital.
Remind them how important it is to keep the snacks clean and free from bacteria.
Example: wash hands and area before making your snack, keep snacks packaging
or at least covered.
Timing: 10-20 minutes Ask them if they have any questions.

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LESSON 2: VERMICAST
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1-15 pre-composting sacks or areas,
1. Understand the basics of fertilizer, 2. 1-15 practicing vermicomposting.
2. Realize the savings potential in vegetable gardening.

REMINDERS: Bring 200mL spray bottle of EM, and 2 empty rice sacks.

Before the Lesson: Prepare a suitable location for the pre-compost.
Teaching Outline (30 minutes):
Making Vermicast • Plants need over 12 nutrients to grow well! Chemical fertilizers cost around
P20-40 per kilo and only provide 2 or 3 nutrients per product! Vermicast
contains ALL the nutrients that plants need and it costs almost P0!! We’ll teach
you how to make this type of fertilizer and we’ll lend you the worms that will
produce the fertilizer!
Tip: Check waste for bugs • For all those who brought their plastic/sack of organic material/waste, please
and oil that will harm the empty it into a rice sack, or area, and then soak with water. Spray EM on to the
vermi. waste.
• Store in a shady place. Check it every other day to check moisture level.
• Remind them that the more waste they collect, the more fertilizer they’ll be able
Timing: 5 minutes to produce.

Estimated Financial Forecast for VERMICAST
Organic Waste Vermicast Income per 50kg Monthly Income
75kg 50kg !250.00 500-1000
NOTE: ICM will not buy vermi or vermicast from you, but we’ll try to
help connect you with local buyers.
Understanding Fertilizer • How does vermicast contain so many nutrients? By feeding the worms a mix of
(Vermi Food) organic wastes.
Here’s a list of good organic waste to feed the worms:
Wet market wastes ipil-ipil leaves, kakawate leaves, ampalaya leaves, manure,
rice straw, seaweed, seafood scraps, non-oily food scraps, eggshells, bones,
Tip: Add goat manure if banana peels, banana trunk, bat guano, rotten non-citrus fruit, sawdust,
there are rats. cuttings, weeds, paper & cardboard.
Timing: 5 minutes • Everyone please bring 2 plastics/sacks of organic waste/material next week.
Common Vegetables • How much do you normally spend on vegetables in a week?
• Would you like to save that money and not have to travel to the market as
much?
• In a few weeks you’ll produce your own fertilizer! And then we’ll teach you how
to grow your own vegetables.
• Let’s make a list of all the vegetables you buy, so that ICM can give you those
seeds! In exchange for the seeds we ask that each of you give ICM 1 small
sack of organic waste, for ICM’s vermiculture, each week we disperse seeds.
Or you can pay us back with worms, but we’ll talk about that later !
Timing: 10 minutes Note: seed utang = 50g of vermi or 1 rice-sack of organic waste.

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Snack Business Review • Ask the 3 turon producers how their business went this past week?
Encourage them to share their joys and challenges.
If you can provide some advise after they share, that would be a helpful way to
encourage them to keep pushing forward in their new business.
• Every few weeks, we’ll be teaching a new snack business and giving out 3
snack kits. If you can’t wait then just go ahead and start your own snack
Timing: 5 minutes business!
Snack Payment • Ask the 3 recipients to repay their utang and update their payment cards.
Timing: 5 minutes
Reminders:
1. Everyone should bring at least 2 plastic bags of organic wastes!
2. Ask the community which snacks and cleaning products they would like to learn in the future.

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LESSON 3: CLEANING PRODUCT (or SNACK)
The recipients will be able to: 1. 10 recipients to sell a cleaning product,
1. Understand how to make a cleaning product, 2. 1 group of recipients to continue cleaning product
(or business at least 3-4 months after VHL, (or
2. Start a snack business if they have the capital.) 3. 3 new snack businesses start,
4. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,
5. 1 recipient continues their snack business at least
3-4 months after VHL).

Guide to Choosing the Right Topics
Cleaning Products: As a Livelihood Trainer, you have 3 cleaning products to use as INCOME GENERATING
tools. If any of the 3 cleaning products doesn’t have a market in the community, then don’t teach it. You your
best judgement along with feedback from the community to decide which cleaning products are viable.
Snack Products: As a Livelihood Trainer, you have many snack products to use as INCOME GENERATING
tools. You should think of the snack products as a backup to any topic that’s not applicable in the community.
Snack products are viable in almost 100% of our communities and will give you the best chance to make a
financial impact in the community.

REMINDERS: Bring 2 cleaning product kits (1 for demo and 1 kit of finished product) or 3 snack kits.

Before the Lesson: Prepare 1 cleaning kit for demonstration or prepare all the snack materials to be able to
demonstrate how to make the snack.

Alternative 1 (The following cleaning product lesson should be taught if you think one of the cleaning products
is sellable in this community. If not, teach Alternative 2.)
Savings = Pesos • Did you know that whenever we’re able to save part of our budget? That’s
actually extra income.
• For every peso saved by producing your own basic needs, you have more
money to spend on other needs. Diba (right)?
• We want to help you to produce some of your basic needs like vegetables and
cleaning products. Next week you’ll have enough organic fertilizer to start
Timing: 3 minutes planting! But this week we’d like to teach you ____________.
Product Mixing Refer to Cleaning Product List, in the Appendix, for mixing instructions.
Tip: Because mixing can
take some time, continue
on with the lesson while
volunteers can mix.
Timing: 10 minutes
Product Demonstration Take a small sample of the product and ask for volunteers to come test it!
The rest of the demonstration kit should be packed up and returned to the office
Timing: 2 minutes for packaging. The prepackaged sachets/bottles will be the ones sold today.
Product Price • The cost per 1 sachet/bottle is P____.
• You have to price your product a bit below the branded ones in order to attract
Timing: 5 minutes potential buyers.

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Product Payment • Who wants to purchase this cleaning product either for personal use or to
sell?
Tip: If your region has a local • Everyone can buy at least 1 sachet/bottle. You’ll need to pay for them
supplier of kits, please refer next week. But after that, if some of you want to continue this business,
your communities directly to you’ll need to pay ICM in advance for 1 kit. If you have enough capital on
the supplier! your own, you can buy a whole kit. For most, you’ll need to group together
to share 1 kit.
• The value of the kits is P_____ (ask your livelihood leader for this
figure/amount). You, or a group of you, will need to pay for 1 kit before
Timing: 5 minutes ICM will deliver it to you.
Estimated Financial Forecast for CLEANING PRODUCTS
Piece Cost SRP Inventory/Capital Pieces of Product Income Net Income per Kit
!27.00 !40.00 !950.00 35 !1,400.00 !450.00
!23.00 !35.00 !1,167.00 52 !1,820.00 !653.00
Alternative 2 (The following snack lesson should be taught if the cleaning products are not applicable to this
community.)
Snack • Today we’ll make ________. Do we have any experts in making this? Please
Choose an applicable come help me. You may know a different recipe, but today we’ll be making it
snack from the Appendix from the following ingredients:
section at the back of your Show all the ingredients.
manual. Teach them the steps as you make it and encourage participation.
Timing: 20 minutes
Snack Repayment • If you are interested in producing and selling _____, please put your name on
a piece of paper. I’ll draw 3 names out of the mix and they’ll receive a small kit
of ingredients to make and sell ______! The value of the kits/ingredients is
worth P___. Your utang will need to be repaid in 4 gives. This should give you
Timing: 5 minutes • Draw the 3 names, have them sign a payment card & give them kits.
!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00
Snack Payments • Ask the recipients to repay their weekly amount and update their payment
Timing: 5 minutes cards.
Reminder: Everyone should bring at least 2 plastic bags of organic wastes!

After the Lesson
Encourage them to turnover that capital daily so that they can maximize their
capital.

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LESSON 4: VERMICOMPOSTING
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1-15 pre-composting sacks or areas,
1. Understand the basics of making fertilizer. 2. 1-15 practicing vermicomposting.

REMINDERS: Bring 200mL spray bottle of EM, 2 empty rice sacks & 50g of worms.

Before the Lesson: Get the rice sack full of organic waste for teaching the lesson and ask the pastor who
should be the in-charge of the EM bottle.

What is Vermicomposting? • When earthworms eat organic wastes, they produce casts: known as
vermicast. Vermicast is one of the highest quality fertilizers available.
• In April 16, 2010 the government signed Republic Act 10068 “Organic
Agriculture Act of 2010”. It’s the DA’s role to promote vermicomposting to fulfill
Timing: 5 minutes Act 10068.
Dispersing Vermi Have everyone look at the sack. If it needs water, add some. Place 50g of
Tip: When watering, gently worms into the middle of the waste and cover. Remind everyone that they need
“rain”/diffuse the water. to keep the sack moist, but not wet (water should not be dripping down)! We’ll
check on them next week and see what they’ve produced!
Timing: 5 Minutes • 100g of vermi will need to be repaid on week 15.
Pre-composting • For those who brought 2 plastic/sack of organic material/waste, please empty
it into a rice sack, or area.
• Ask volunteers to soak it in water and spray EM on to the waste.
Tip: If there wasn’t much • This new pre-compost will be used when we harvest the worms in 3 weeks.
organic waste with the • Remind them to store it in a shady place.
worms, add the new waste. • Next week I’ll teach you how to make a larger type of home for the vermi.
• We’ll need the following materials: about 4 bamboo poles (or the equivalent in
wood), nails, 4 1.5L coke containers, hammer & saw.
• Ask the recipients what they will bring and if the husbands can come next
Timing: 8 Minutes week to help build.
Future Dispersal • Anyone who wants to start their own vermiculture can! All you need to do is
prepare your own composting area along with the organic wastes.
• When you’re ready to start, you should bring a small sack of organic waste to
the in-charge. He/she will spray your waste and you should return the sprayed
waste back to your home. Mix the sprayed waste with all your collected waste.
The EM will spread to all your waste!
• Each recipient who’s prepared a home for the vermi will get 50g of vermi.
• These worms are NOT free though. On week 15 of VHL you’ll need to return
100g (50g for vermi and 50g for seeds) of vermi to ICM.
• Ask how many people are planning to pursue this? (Make note of the
response and inform your supervisor and/or livelihood leader when you return
to the office.) Remind them that without quality fertilizer it’s very difficult to
Timing: 10 Minutes grow healthy vegetables!
Repayment Time • Ask the recipients to repay their weekly amount and update their payment
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, everyone should help clean and clear the community
WEEKLY TASK garden.
Reminder: Everyone should bring materials for the vermi bin.

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LESSON 5: VERMI BIN (or SNACK)
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1 vermi bin, (or
1. Make a vermi bin, (or 2. 3 new snack businesses start,
2. Start a snack business if they have the capital.) 3. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,

REMINDERS: Bring 4 empty rice sacks, hammer and saw (or 3 snack kits).

Before the Lesson: Prepare all the recipients materials to build the vermi bin quickly. Check on the vermi.
Vermi Bin Construction • Growing vermi in sacks can work well on a small scale and when we don’t
Tip: If there’s no space or no have much space, but for your community garden you’ll need a vermi bin.
interest in a community • Today I’ll teach you how to make a vermi bin. Did you bring the materials?
garden, don’t teach this • Four 2m poles connected by two 2m & two 1m poles at 1m height. Build the
section: teach “Alternative”. base and sides to a height of 2ft. Line with rice sacks. On top of the 4 posts,
make a roof (tarpaulin or nipa or place the vermi bin under a covered area.)
• Why do we raise the bin? It protects from flooding, livestock & it’s easy to
access!
Timing: 23 minutes Note: A 2 square meter bin can handle up to 2 kg of worms.
Alternative (This alternative should only be taught in communities that do not have any interest in vermiculture.)
Snack: • Today we’ll make ________. Do we have any experts in making this? Please
section at the back of Show all the ingredients.
your manual. Teach them the steps as you make it and encourage participation.
Timing: 18 minutes
Record Keeping • The 2nd half of your Livelihood Student Manual is to record important
information like the date the seed is planted and harvested, manage inventory
and record income!
• If you keep your records up-to-date, you will be able to see how much you’ve
been able to produce and earn because of your hard work in producing and
selling!
• My teammate and I will be checking your record books when we come house-
2-house. Your records may help us provide you with some advise on how to
Timing: 5 Minutes increase your product/income.
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, everyone should help toil and plow the soil in the
WEEKLY TASK community garden. The sun will help sterilize the soil.
Reminder: Complete the vermi bin, put all the pre-composting waste into it and add more waste until it’s
full.
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2. Start a snack business if they have the capital.) 3. 3 new snack businesses start,
4. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,

REMINDERS: Bring 2 cleaning product kits (1 for demo and 1 kit of finished product) or 3 snack kits.

demonstrate how to make the snack. Check if the vermi bin is full of organic waste and check on the vermi in
the sack.
• We want to help you to produce some of your basic needs like vegetables and
cleaning products. Next week you’ll have enough organic fertilizer to start
Timing: 3 minutes planting! But this week we’d like to teach you ____________.
Tip: Because mixing can
take some time, continue
on with the lesson while
volunteers can mix.
Timing: 13 minutes
Timing: 2 minutes
• You have to price your product a bit below the branded ones in order to attract
Timing: 5 minutes potential buyers.
Product Payment • Who wants to purchase this cleaning product either for personal use or to sell?
• Everyone can buy at least 1 sachet/bottle. You’ll need to pay for them next
Tip: If your region has a week. But after that, if some of you want to continue this business, you’ll need
local supplier of kits, to pay ICM in advance for 1 kit. If you have enough on your own, you can buy
please refer your a whole kit. For most, you’ll need to group together to share 1 kit.
communities directly to the • The value of the kits is P_____ (ask your livelihood leader for this
supplier! figure/amount). You, or a group of you, will need to pay for 1 kit before ICM will
Timing: 5 minutes deliver it to you.
Estimated Financial Forecast for CLEANING PRODUCTS
Piece Cost SRP Inventory/Capital Pieces of Product Income Net Income per Kit
!27.00 !40.00 !950.00 35 !1,407.41 !457.41
!23.00 !35.00 !1,167.00 52 !1,820.00 !653.00
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community.)
Snack • Today we’ll make ________. Do we have any experts in making this? Please
section at the back of your Show all the ingredients.
manual. Teach them the steps as you make it and encourage participation.
Timing: 23 minutes

!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, a bamboo or wood structure should be made for next
WEEKLY TASK weeks containers to hang!
Reminder: Keep adding more organic waste to the vermi bin because next week we’ll start planting!

After the Lesson
capital.

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LESSON 7: CAST HARVESTING & CONTAINER GARDENING
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1-15 practicing vermicomposting,
1. Understand vermi bin composting, 2. 20 recipients start a container garden,
2. Understand the basics of container gardening. 3. 10 recipients have a garden until the end of VHL,
4. 7 recipients have a garden at least 3-4 months
after VHL.

REMINDERS: Bring 1 sack of recycled bottle containers, wire, marker pin, masking tape and 310 petchay,
spring onion and seeds.

Before the Lesson: Get the sack of vermi to be transferred to the vermi bin. Prepare 3-4 completed (with wire)
vegetable bottle containers to use as visual adds during the training.

Vermicast Harvesting Ask for some volunteers to pour out contents of the vermi sack. Have them put
the worms into the new vermi bin. Show them the pure vermicast.
• All this vermicompost is ready to be used! We’ll use it in just a minute when
Tip: If they don’t have a bin, we start planting!
put the vermi into a new sack • The worms will stay where you put them as long as there is food, moisture
full of organic waste. and no enemies (birds, mouse, rats, ants, & bucan).
• Organic waste should be at least 1-2 foot deep to achieve a faster rate of
Timing: 8 minutes production. It also helps maintain a constant temperature.
Container Gardening • A method of vegetable production using old or discarded containers that can
hold soil for a full-grown plant.
• It is a cheap, manageable and easy way to start a vegetable garden!
• Any type of container or sack can be used!
• Here are some container ideas: plastic bottles, old tires, coconut husks,
bamboo, jars, rice sacks, feed sacks, old boxes, plastic pots and tin cans.
Timing: 5 minutes

Estimated Financial Forecast for VEGETABLES
# of Vegetables Average Income per Veg per Month Total Income
15 !28.00 !420.00
25 !28.00 !700.00
40 !28.00 !1,120.00
75 !28.00 !2,100.00
100 !28.00 !2,800.00
150 !28.00 !4,200.00
Prepare the Containers 1. Clean recycled containers of oil or grease.
2. Cut in halves if needed.
Tip: This is a hands-on group Disperse half-1.5L containers and have everyone follow along with you.
participation section, so make 3. Make at least 5 holes, 1 inch from the bottom.
sure recipients are involved. 4. Use wire to hang the containers.
5. Put masking tape on your containers and then write your name on each
Timing: 5 minutes one so you’ll know which ones are yours.
Prepare the Soil Healthy soil mixture: mix soil & casts in equal parts (1:1)
If you don’t live near the sea, add a pinch of SEA-salt (regular salt should not
be used, it will kill your plants!!) when mixing the soil (except for corn and
Timing: 5 minutes lettuce). This will help the vegetables grow better!
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Direct Planting 1. " of the container should be filled with soil.
Tip: If they don’t have a 2. Water the soil just enough to make it damp/moist.
community garden yet, just 3. Sow 1 seed in the container with a depth of 2-3 cm and cover.
encourage them to hang it in 4. Water and hang (use #16 tie wire, or string) in the community garden.
their homes. • Take the rest of these containers, along with these seeds and start to make
your community garden green!
Note: If you bring more small containers next week, I’ll give you more seeds
Timing: 5 Minutes for those containers!
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, the plants need watering twice a day, unless it rains.
WEEKLY TASK You need to make a schedule/arrangement for who will water the plants!
Reminder: Keep collecting organic waste, water your plants, sell something and update your records!

15

2. Start a snack business if they have the capital,) 3. 3 new snack businesses start,
3. Understand container gardening. 4. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,
3-4 months after VHL,)
6. 20 recipients start a container garden,
7. 10 recipients have a garden until the end of VHL,
8. 7 recipients have a garden at least 3-4 months
after VHL.

REMINDERS: Bring 2 cleaning product kits (1 for demo and 1 kit of finished product) or 3 snack kits. Bring 31
recycled gallon-sized containers, marker pin, masking tape, 310 tomato, chilli and sweet pepper seeds and
310 small container seeds.

demonstrate how to make the snack. Prepare 1-2 completed vegetable gallon containers to use as visual
adds during the training. Check if the vermi bin is full of organic waste and check on the vermi in the sack.

• We want to help you to produce some of your basic needs like vegetables
and cleaning products. Next week you’ll have enough organic fertilizer to
Timing: 3 minutes start planting! But this week we’d like to teach you ____________.
Tip: Because mixing can take
some time, continue on with
the lesson while volunteers
can mix.
Timing: 10 minutes
Timing: 2 minutes
• You have to price your product a bit below the branded ones in order to
Timing: 5 minutes attract potential buyers.

16

Product Payment • Who wants to purchase this cleaning product either for personal use or to
sell?
Tip: If your region has a local • Everyone can buy at least 1 sachet/bottle. You’ll need to pay for them next
supplier of kits, please refer week. But after that, if some of you want to continue this business, you’ll
your communities directly to need to pay ICM in advance for 1 kit. If you have enough on your own, you
the supplier! can buy a whole kit. For most, you’ll need to group together to share 1 kit.
• The value of the kits is P_____ (ask your livelihood leader for this
figure/amount). You, or a group of you, will need to pay for 1 kit before ICM
Timing: 3 minutes will deliver it to you.
community.)
Snack • Today we’ll make ________. Do we have any experts in making this?
Choose an applicable snack Please come help me. You may know a different recipe, but today we’ll be
from the Appendix section at making it from the following ingredients:
the back of your manual. Show all the ingredients.
Timing: 18 minutes Teach them the steps as you make it and encourage participation.
Snack Repayment • If you are interested in producing and selling _____, please put your name
on a piece of paper. I’ll draw 3 names out of the mix and they’ll receive a
small kit of ingredients to make and sell ______! The value of the
kits/ingredients is worth P___. Your utang will need to be repaid in 4 gives.
This should give you enough time to grow your business and repay ICM!

!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00

Container Planting-Gallon • Remember last week we learned how to recycle small containers for
gardening! This week we’ll be using bigger containers for bigger plants!
Review the steps for setting up a container plant:
Tip: If more fertilizer is needed, 1. Put masking tape on your containers and then write your name on each
take it from the vermi bin. one so you’ll know which ones are yours.
2. " of the container should be filled with soil.
3. Water the soil just enough to make it damp/moist.
4. Sow 1 seed in the container with a depth of 2-3 cm and cover.
5. Water and place in the community garden.
• Take the rest of these containers, along with these seeds and start to make
Timing: 5 minutes your community garden green!
During this week, invite your Barangay Agriculturalist and Municipal
COMMUNITY GARDEN DA to visit your garden to offer their advise in how to create a
WEEKLY TASK successful vegetable garden. Ask them if there are any government
programs you can avail free vermi, seeds, etc.

After the Lesson
capital.
17

LESSON 9: PLANT MANAGEMENT
The recipients will be able to: 1. 10 recipients produce and use a botanical
1. Make botanical pesticides. pesticide,
2. 20 recipients start a container garden,
3. 10 recipients have a garden until the end of VHL,
4. 7 recipient have a garden at least 3-4 months after
VHL,

REMINDERS: Bring tubli root, 31 used sacks for gardening, 310 eggplant, okra and upo seeds, 310 small
container seeds and 310 medium container seeds.

Before the Lesson: Check on the vermi bin (enough organic waste and moisture) and community garden (has
it been watered well). Prepare 1 completed vegetable sack container to use as visual adds during the
training.

Botanical Pesticides • Botanical pesticides refer to natural pesticides that are produced from plants.
Various botanical pesticides treat different types of pests and they only need to
be used when the problem occurs.
• WHO found 10,000 people die annually because of chemical pesticides
poisoning. So it’s worth our attention to learn about some alternatives to
Timing: 5 Minutes chemical pesticides.
Basic Plant Management • There are some simple ways to maintain the health of your plants.
1. Manually remove pests or use botanical pesticides.
Tip: Get a sad looking 2. Remove weeds by hand! Planting ornamental mani-mani around taller
container plant from the vegetables is a great way to stop weeds from coming back. Plus mani-mani
community garden and help adds nitrogen to the soil!
them diagnose the problem. 3. Water twice per day, but don’t drown or over-water the plants. Heavy rain can
cause harm. Plant in raised beds and cover seedlings with a net or banana
leaves.
Note: If containers are over watered, the nutrients will wash away. The solution is
Timing: 5 Minutes to apply more vermicasts.
Make Kakawate Pesticide • Kakawate leaves make a great all-purpose pesticide. Follow these steps:
1. Gather 50g of kakawate leaves and pound it.
2. Mix it well with 50ml of water and soak it overnight.
3. After 12 hours, strain out all the leaves.
4. Mix 800mL of water with 2 tsp of kakawate juice.
5. Spray mixture on your plants during sunrise and sunset.
Timing: 5 minutes Note: The mixture should be used within 3 days.
Tubli Root Pesticide • Tubli roots make a great all-purpose pesticide. Follow these steps:
1. Gather 20g of fresh tubli roots and chop them up.
2. Mix it with 300mL of water and soak it overnight.
3. After 12 hours, strain out all the roots.
4. Mix 300mL of water into the 300mL of tubli juice.
Timing: 5 minutes 5. Spray mixture on infested plants.

18

Container Planting-Sack • How are your 1st container plants doing? Are they growing a few leaves yet?
Remember to keep the soil moist.
Tip: If there isn’t enough • Now, lets plant a few more containers! This week we’ll learn how to recycle a
vermicasts for everyone, used sack as our container.
don’t fill the sacks so high. Demonstrate how to use
• It’s important to keep planting more seeds every week. If you’ll plant each
week, you’ll have food to eat each week!
• The Bible says we sow what we reap. And it’s true!
Have everyone take a container, put fertilized soil into it and plant a seed.
• Take your plant container, along with these seeds and grow your own
Timing: 6 minutes vegetables!
Vermi Bin Report Share with the group your assessment of their vermi bin. (Don’t discourage them
Tip: Our aim is to or shame them for any problems.)
encourage and inspire
them to do their best!
Timing: 2 minutes
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, focus on protecting your plants from harm.
WEEKLY TASK
Reminders:
1. Keep collecting organic waste, water your plants, sell something and update your records!
2. Please prepare empty recycled containers at your homes, because next week you’ll receive seeds to
start or expand your home gardens!

Botanical Pesticide Alternatives
Papaya Leaves 1. Finely chop 500g of dry papaya leaves.
Purpose: Fungus 2. Mix it with 500mL of water and soak it overnight.
3. After 12 hours, dilute with 2L of water then strain.
Timing: 5 minutes 4. Spray mixture on fungus.
Garlic 1. Finely chop 1 garlic bulb.
Purpose: Aphids, ants and 2. Mix it with 3L of water and soak it overnight.
many common pests. 3. After 12 hours, strain out all the garlic.
Timing: 5 minutes 4. Spray mixture on infested plants.
Black Pepper Sprinkle black pepper powder directly to the base of
Purpose: Ants the plants that are being attacked by ants.
Timing: 5 minutes
Atis Seed Pulverize seeds into a powder and then place
Purpose: Ants directly to the base of plants that are being
Timing: 5 minutes attacked by ants.

19

LESSON 10: VINEGAR (or SNACK) & GARDEN VISION
The recipients will be able to: 1. 10 recipients to regularly participate in community
1. Make vinegar, (or garden work,
2. Snack,) 2. 3 recipients make vinegar on their own, (or
3. Understand the opportunities that can come 3. 3 new snack businesses start,
from gardening. 4. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,

REMINDERS: Bring materials to make vinegar or 3 snack kits, 930 mix (small, medium and large container)
seeds for personal gardens and 300 mix seeds for community garden.

it been watered well). Prepare material for making vinegar or snack.

Vinegar • How many of you use vinegar when you cook?
• Would you like to learn how to make your own vinegar? It won’t cost much and
Notice: This hasn’t been isn’t very complicated!
proven yet, if you’re told this 1. Wash the 1.5 cups of saba peeling to remove dirt.
doesn’t work, teach 2. Cut peels into pieces approximately 1/2# x 1/2#.
Alternative! 3. Place peels and $ cup brown sugar into a 5 Gallon earthen jar.
4. Add clean water till half way, then stir until sugar is well mixed. Continue to fill
with clean water until 1 inch from the top.
5. Cover jar with a piece of cheesecloth or paper, securing it with a plastic twine
or rubber band.
Timing: 10 minutes 6. Place it in a cool dry place (no direct sunlight) until next weeks training.
Alternative (Teach this alternative lesson if we can’t prove our vinegar lesson.)
Snack: Banana Que • Today we’ll make banana que. Do we have any experts in making this? Please
come help me. You may know a different recipe, but today we’ll be making it
from the following ingredients:
Show all the ingredients.
Snack Repayment • If you are interested in producing and selling banana que please put your name
on a piece of paper. I’ll draw 3 names out of the mix and they’ll receive a small
kit of ingredients to make and sell banana que! The value of the kits/ingredients
is worth P___. Your utang will need to be repaid in 4 gives. This should give
you enough time to grow your business and repay ICM!

!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00

20

Personal Garden • All of you have helped establish your community garden! Well done for that!
You’ll need to keep expanding it, but another important place to plant is in your
homes!
• All of you can apply what you’ve learned here to your homes. Think of all the
places you can hang containers. Be creative and utilize wasted spaces!
• Having you own vegetable garden will make it very accessible when you need
vegetables to cook.
• During the program, ICM will provide all the seeds you need to start and grow
Timing: 5 minutes your personal vegetable garden. So, take this special opportunity given to you!
Garden Prize! • The family that plants and maintains the most vegetables will receive a grocery
reward worth P200 for 1st place and P100 for 2nd place!!
• On the 15th week of the program, ICM staff will visit each house to count how
many vegetable plants the family has, along with any plants they have in the
community garden.
• The family with the most plants wins!
Note: Only healthy plants will be counted. Plants that are dying will be
Timing: 5 Minutes disqualified.
Gardening Vision • As I mentioned before, you’re community garden is looking great! Soon we’ll be
Tip: Parents have a desire able to harvest fresh organic vegetables!
to be good parents. Stress • Our 1st objective is to have enough vegetable plants that you don’t have to buy
the point that by growing any vegetables. This will create savings and improve our children’s health!!
and eating healthy they’ll be • Our 2nd objective is that we’ll be able to sell some of our excess vegetables to
good parents! earn a bit more income! We all want to earn more income, don’t we!
• Some of you don’t have much space to plant/hang your vegetables at home
Timing: 4 minutes and this is another reason you have your community garden.
Multiple Harvest • See how nice this Petchay looks! Most people will harvest the entire plant, but
most leafy plants like this can be harvested many time.
Tip: Encourage them to • Here’s a simple guide how to maximize the harvest of each plant:
start harvesting their 1. Only harvest the leaves on the outside (the older leaves) of the plant.
vegetables so that they can 2. Only harvest what you’ll eat that meal.
enjoy the fruits of their 3. Don’t harvest more than 50% of the leaves.
labor! Note: This is a great strategy for the plants you’ll consume. But this isn’t a good
strategy for marketing vegetables. Harvest the traditional way when selling to the
Timing: 4 Minutes market.
During this week, meet as a community and try and create a detailed plan
how you want to use all the community garden space. You can divide it up
COMMUNITY GARDEN
between everyone who wants to use it. You can work as a team and have
WEEKLY TASK
each member work 1 day a week in the farm. ICM won’t decide this,
because it depends on your vision for your community garden!

After the Lesson
capital.
21

LESSON 11: VERMICAST TEA
The recipients will be able to: 1. 10 recipients to use vermicast tea.
1. Understand the purpose of vermicast tea,
2. Understand the importance of continuous
production.

REMINDERS: Bring 930 mix seeds for personal gardens and 300 mix seeds for community garden.

Before the Lesson: Make sure the stored vinegar jar is easily accessible for the lesson. Check on the vermi
bin/sack and harvest enough casts to use for vermicast tea demonstration. If the organic waste is getting to
low, strongly encourage the community to collect more!

Vinegar-Important! Skip this 1. Get the vinegar jar!
section of you didn’t teach 2. Remove the cheesecloth/ paper.
vinegar. Use the extra time to 3. Stir the mixture with a clean ladle for at least 5 minutes.
focus on planting during the 4. Place the cover back on top of the jar and return jar to a safe place.
right time of year. • This should be done daily until we meet next week.
• Who’s going to be in-charge of doing this?
Timing: 8 minutes Note: Make sure to cover the jar after each stirring!
Vermicast Harvesting • It’s very easy to collect the vermicast. Some of you may have already seen
me do it, but for those that haven’t.
Tip: Show them how to • You simply scrape your hand over the top layer of the cast/bin. It should be
scrape the casts from the top. very easy to remove. If it’s difficult, you’ve gone to deep and reached the
organic waste.
Note: Don’t harvest the organic waste, wait patiently till the worms product more
Timing: 5 minutes casts.
Vermicast Tea We can make our own liquid fertilizer by following these steps:
1. Ingredients: cast + water (1:4)
Tip: Try to help connect the 2. Thoroughly mix casts and water in container.
community producers with 3. Apply to plants during morning or dusk. Applying this takes the place of
the stores. watering.
Note: It can also be sold as a liquid fertilizer to agri supply stores. The SRP is
Timing: 5 minutes P____ per Liter (ask your Livelihood leader for the SRP).
Continuous Production • In order to achieve our 2 objectives we’ll need to focus on 2 things: plant all
the vegetables that your family normally buys and plant them regularly.
• The reason we need to plant regularly is because when 1 plant stops
producing the newer 1 will be ready for harvest. The timing won’t always work
perfectly, but as you get more experience you’ll learn how often to plant each
Timing: 3 Minutes variety of vegetable.
Planting Calendar Explain the Planting Calendar.
Timing: 7 Minutes

22

Source: “Grow Your Lunch” by Leah McCarrol

COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, build some trellises so that you can grow climbing
WEEKLY TASK vegetables like ampalaya and cucumber!
Reminders:
2. Please prepare empty recycled containers at your homes, because next week you’ll receive seeds to
start or expand your home gardens!
3. Please bring rice hull from your local rice mill for next weeks lesson. (Only for applicable areas)!

23

LESSON 12: CRH (or SNACK)
The recipients will be able to: 1. 1 community Carbonizer being utilized, (or
1. Make CRH (Carbonized Rice Hull), (or 2. 3 new snack businesses start,
2. Start a snack business if they have the capital). 3. 1-2 recipients continue their snack business until
the end of VHL,

REMINDERS: Bring a Carbonizer (or 3 snack kits), 930 mix seeds for personal gardens and 300 mix seeds for
community garden.

it been watered well). Prepare all the snack materials to be able to demonstrate how to make the snack.

Vinegar-Important! Skip this • Was the vinegar stirred for 5 minutes each day? I hope so !
section if you’re not teaching • Now we leave it untouched for 2 more weeks of fermentation.
vinegar.
Timing: 3 minutes
Make CRH 1. Make a small fire.
Tip: If the community doesn’t 2. Place the Carbonizer on top of the fire.
have access to rice hull, is in 3. Put 1 sack of rice hull around the Carbonizer.
an urban environment or 4. Add wood to the fire through the chimney.
doesn’t have interest, don’t 5. When 85% of the hull turns black remove the fire.
teach CRH. Proceed to 6. Using a shovel, slowly mix the rice husk until it’s 99% black.
Alternative section. 7. Add water and mix until it stops smoking.
8. Spread it out so that it will dry.
9. Once dried, add to soil or store it in a sack until needed.
Timing: 20 Minutes Note: The hull becomes useless if it catches on fire or becomes gray.)
Why do we make CRH? 1. It’s is a soil loosener.
CRH contains phosphorus, 2. It aids moisture retention.
potassium, calcium, 3. It can enhance seedling growth.
magnesium, and 4. It minimizes weed growth.
micronutrients vital for 5. Rice Hull is normally free or very cheap.
growing crops. 6. A Carbonizer is cheap and easy to operate.
7. When it’s added to casts it makes a great soil enhancer.
8. It eliminates fungus that damage and kill plants.
• Remember how I taught you to mix cast and soil in a 1:1 ratio. Now that you
Timing: 5 Minutes have CRH, mix equal parts of all 3 types (1:1:1).
Alternative (This alternative should only be taught in communities that do not have any interest or access to CRH.)
Snack: Choose an • Today we’ll make ________. Do we have any experts in making this? Please
applicable snack from the come help me. You may know a different recipe, but today we’ll be making it
Appendix section at the from the following ingredients:
back of your manual. Show all the ingredients.

24

a piece of paper. I’ll draw 3 names out of the mix and they’ll receive a small
kit of ingredients to make and sell ______! The value of the kits/ingredients is
worth P___. Your utang will need to be repaid in 4 gives. This should give
you enough time to grow your business and repay ICM!
!2.50 !5.00 !80.00 32 !160.00 !80.00 !480.00 !20.00
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, collect lots of rice hull and produce as much CRH as
WEEKLY TASK possible. Add some CRH when mixing soil!

After the Lesson
capital.

25

LESSON 13: SEED BANKING & SOIL MAINTENANCE
The recipients will be able to: 1. 15 recipients practice seed banking.
1. Harvest seeds from certain mature plants.


Before the Lesson: Prepare some containers from the community garden for the lesson. Check on the vermi
bin (enough organic waste and moisture) and community garden (has it been watered well).
Seed Banking • Seed banking is allowing a plant to grow to full maturity (when it begins to flower)
and harvesting its seeds.
Tip: Demonstrate how to • The following plants can be kept for seed banking: petchay, tomato, ampalaya,
tie a sack onto a mature eggplant, bell pepper, hot pepper, pole sitaw, and lettuce.
plant using a plant in the • We recommend you have 1 plant, per variety, to be used for seed banking.
community garden. • When a plant reaches full maturity and begins to flower, tie plastic sacks around
the flowering part of the plant so that the seeds will fall into the sack. Once most of
the seeds have dropped, shake the plant and then remove the sacks with the
Timing: 10 minutes seeds inside. The seeds should be stored in a safe dry environment.
Soil Maintenance • After a plant stops harvesting, you should follow these few steps:
1. Take out as many of the old roots as possible and then expose the soil to the
Tip: Do a practical sun for 7 days. This will help kill the bacteria in the soil.
demonstration of this 2. Mix the old soil with an equal amount of new soil (cast, soil & CRH).
while you teach it. 3. Place that soil mixture into containers or plots.
4. Water the soil until moist.
5. Sow seeds in the container or plot and cover with loose soil.
• If you don’t follow these steps, bacterial will build up in the soil and each crop will
Timing: 5 Minutes produce less and less.
Crop Rotation • Soil maintenance is a very important part of sustainable gardening. Another
equally important component is crop rotation.
• Each plant variety has certain bacteria that feed on them. When we plant a
different variety of vegetable in the same soil, the existing bacteria don’t have any
“food” to eat. And so they die without causing harm to our plants.
• A different variety of vegetable should be planted in the same soil after each
Timing: 5 Minutes harvest/crop.
Plot Gardening • Container gardening is great, but if you have ground space you should utilize that
as well. Here’s a simple guide to plot gardening:
1. Create raised beds of about 1 foot.
2. If the plant needs to climb, build a suitable trellis.
Tip: Help them plan and 3. Mix cast and CRH into the sterilized soil. Aim to keep the same mixing ratios
organize their community (1:1:1)
garden in order to use all 4. Water beds/soil till moist.
available space. 5. Create seed holes of the correct distance (check manual for suggested
spacing).
6. Place the seed or seedling (preferably) into each hole and cover with loose soil.
7. Continue to water along with your other plants twice a day, using vermicast tea
when available.
Timing: 8 Minutes • Let’s discuss how you might design your community plots.

26

Repayment Time • Ask the recipients to repay their weekly amount and update their payment cards.
Timing: 2 minutes
COMMUNITY GARDEN During this week, plot out community garden and follow the steps you learned
WEEKLY TASK today!

Source: “Grow Your Lunch” by Leah McCarrol
27

LESSON 14: MARKETING (& VINEGAR HARVESTING)
The recipients will be able to: 1. 3 recipients make vinegar on their own.
1. Understand the importance to marketing,
2. Harvest vinegar.


Before the Lesson: Make sure the stored vinegar jar is easily accessible for the lesson. Check on the vermi
bin (enough organic waste and moisture) and community garden (has it been watered well).

Vinegar Harvesting- 1. Get the jar of vinegar.
Important! Don’t teach this 2. Strain the mixture with a clean (should be washed in boiling water)
section if you haven’t taught cheesecloth to separate the saba peels from the vinegar.
vinegar. Use the extra time to 3. Boil vinegar for 10 minutes, then cool.
focus on marketing! 4. Once cooled, pour a small sample and taste. (If it doesn’t taste right, then
don’t use it. Something in the process must not have worked properly. Were
all the steps followed exactly?)
5. If it passes the taste test, pour the vinegar into clean bottles and
tighten lids.
• These bottles can now be used or sold!! Price the bottles below the branded
Timing: 10 Minutes competitors.
Marketing-Products • Most of you have all produced and sold something during this program. You
may not think of yourself as a sales person, but the truth is%you are!
Tip: If you sell the best • Think of all the products you know how to make:
quality product and do it 1. Seedlings & Vegetables
consistently, people will 2. Vermicast, Vermi (depends on the area) and Vermicast Tea
continue to buy from you! 3. Many Snacks
4. Cleaning Products
Timing: 4 Minutes 5. Vinegar
Marketing-Location • Have you heard this statement before “Location, Location, Location”. It means
in order to sell something you have to bring it to the people who want to buy it.
We can’t expect the buyer to come to our house, we have to take our “store”
to the buyer!
• Where is our buyer? Think about these places:
1. Neighbors: Door-2-Door
2. Schools or Offices
3. The Market: Stall
4. Join your local gardeners coop/marketing association.
Timing: 4 Minutes 5. Carinderia/Restaurants
Marketing-Advertising • Taking your product to the buyer isn’t enough. You have to let the buyer know
what you’re offering and why it’s a good product.
• Here are some suggestions:
1. Put up signs and display your product possible
2. Tell potential buyers about your product
3. Show them your product
Timing: 4 minutes 4. Agree on a fair price and sell it!

28

Marketing-Timing • You may not have noticed this, but some things are only sold at certain times.
Tip: Encourage them to When is balut sold? Or hot pandasol? Or banana cue?
manage their inventory, so • Think about someone who wants to buy your product. When would they most
nothing is wasted. like to buy it? Morning snack? Or school/class break?
Timing: 4 minutes • When is the most convenient time for them to buy it?
Marketing Plan Exercise • Please open your Livelihood Student Manuals and turn to page 12.
Timing: 2 minutes • Complete the exercise. Let us know if you need any help.
During this week, create some advertising signs for the products you create.
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Example: “Organic Gulay Available Here”, “Tina’s Turor Sold Here”, “Super Klin
WEEKLY TASK
Detergent Sold Here”, etc.
Reminders:
2. Bring your vermi utang (debt) to the meeting next week!!

29

LESSON 15: BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY & PERSONAL VISIONING
The recipients will be able to: 1. 31 recipients write down their person goals and
1. Understand how much potential everyone has, vision.
2. Know their personal goals and vision.


Before the Lesson: Visit every household to count the number of healthy vegetable plants and collect any
vermi repayment. Review you personal goals and vision so you’re prepared to share them with the group.

Business Opportunity • All of you have learned new things over the past 15 weeks. And most of you
have already put some of that new knowledge to work!
• ICM can’t make you do anything, but hopefully all of you will take parts of what
we’ve shared with you and apply it to your lives. I want to come back in 6
months and see how far you’ve progressed! I know you all have the capability
for great things. And if you all continue to work together, exciting things are
ahead!
• What does the future look like? It depends on you. What do you want it to look
Timing: 5 minutes like?
Personal Visioning • It’s extremely importance for all of us to have goals and a vision. Have you
heard of the phrase “Without a vision the people perish”? It’s true. We need
something to look forward to.
• Let me share with you my goals and vision. (Share your some of your goals
Timing: 10 minutes and vision. Be honest, but don’t take too long.)
Visioning Exercise • Types of personal goals: family, education, housing and income goals.
• Please write down your personal vision and goals in your Livelihood Student
Manual on page 13.
Note: If there are some who can’t write, have a counselor or friend help them
Timing: 10 minutes write their thoughts down.
Repayment Time • Everyone who has vermi utang should give them to me now.
Go through all the payment cards and update the ones who paid back the
vermi.
Ask the recipients to repay their weekly amount and update their payment
cards.
• Everyone who hasn’t repaid their vermi debt, please bring them next week!!
• Everyone who has outstanding debt should pay ICM next week. Either in
cash, vermi or organic waste. (1 rice-sack of organic waste is valued at
Timing: 5 minutes around P20.)
During this week, discuss the business opportunity of having a community
COMMUNITY GARDEN
garden. Would having more space allow you to achieve some of your personal
WEEKLY TASK
and community goals?
Reminder: Anyone who still has utang must pay it back next week!

30

LESSON 16: GRADUATION & AWARD GIVING
The recipients will be able to: 1. 25 recipients complete VHL.
1. Complete VHL,
2. Continue on to Kauswagan (Selected Areas).

REMINDERS: Bring 2 grocery prizes (valuing P200 and P100), VHL completion certificates, 930 mix seeds for
personal gardens and 300 mix seeds for community garden.

Before the Lesson: Prepare the prizes for the 2 winners!

Program:
st
Repayment Time • Let’s 1 take care of our utang.
• Everyone who has vermi utang should give them to me now.
Go through all the payment cards and update the ones who paid back the vermi.
• For those who weren’t able to pay back their vermi, ICM’s Follow-Up team will
collect them when they visit next month.
Timing: 5 minutes Ask the recipients to repay their weekly amount and update their payment cards.
Top Livelihood Rewards! Announce the family with the 2nd most healthy vegetable plants and give them
their grocery prize!
Announce the family with the most healthy vegetable plants and give them the
Timing: 10 minutes grand prize!!
Seeds Disperse individual and community garden seeds.
Timing: 2 Minutes
VHL Certificates Disperse VHL completion certificates.
Timing: 10 minutes

31

APPENDIX
Vermicomposting
Vermicompost (also called worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure) is the end product of
the broken-down organic matter by some species of earthworm. Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich, natural fertilizer and soil
conditioner. The process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting.
Together with bacteria (indigenous micro-organisms or IMO), earthworms are the major catalyst for decomposition in a
healthy vermicomposting system, although other soil species also play a contributing role: these include insects, other
worms and molds.

Different Earthworm Species used in Vermicomposting
1. Red Wiggler
2. Red Tiger
3. Red Worms
4. Blue Worms
5. African Night Crawlers (most commonly used in the Philippines)

Characteristics of African Night Crawlers
1. Hermaphrodites (each worm has male and female reproductive organs)
2. Matures in 8 weeks.
3. Breeding worms can lay 2-5 cocoons per week, each containing an average of 10
worms.
4. Population doubles in about a month.
5. Loves shady areas and strongly dislikes direct sunlight.
6. Prefers a moist, but not wet, environment.
7. Eats continuously.
8. Generally, it will excrete on the surface.

Advantages of Vermicomposting
1. It contains millions of microbes that help breakdown nutrients already present in the soil into plant available forms.
2. Contains worm mucus that keeps nutrients from washing away with the first watering.
3. Environment friendly. Since earthworms feed on anything that is biodegradable, vermicomposting then partially aids in
the garbage disposal problems.
4. Compost “tea” is liquid fertilizer that is made from brewing vermicasts in water. An enormous diversity of bacteria,
fungi, protozoa and nematodes should be present depending on the quality of the compost.
5. No imported inputs required. Worms are now locally available and the materials for feeding are abundant in the locality
as market wastes, grasses, used papers and garden wastes.
6. It doesn’t take much time.
7. Profitable. Both the worms and castings are saleable!
8. Increase moisture and nutrient retention of the soil
9. Improves aeration and root penetration
10. Reduces crusting of soil surface
11. Contain NPK just like chemical fertilizer, except better because it doesn’t kill the natural soil.
12. Increases the number of beneficial soil micro-organisms.
13. Has auxin, a naturally occurring growth hormone

Caution
100% worm compost is usually too rich to be used in a seed box. For
seed starting, use a mixture of vermicasts and soil or soil alternatives
(such as rice hull); a mixture of one to four should be used.

Site Selection
1. Source of H2O & VermiFood
2. Shady and Covered

Harvesting Stage
You can harvest the vermicompost every 3-4 days. Add water after
harvesting the top layer of vermicast.

32

ICM Livelihood Trainers Manual v5

ICM Livelihood Trainers Manual v5

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