Thailand Nutrition Program for Thai Primary Schools

Students in several provinces throughout the north, northeast and central regions of Thailand were not receiving adequate nutrition from their school lunch program because of insufficient funding. At just 14 cents (U.S.) per student per day, these schools receive only 25 percent of the funds needed to adequately feed the children in their program.

Since 2002, Pioneer has helped meet these communities' needs for more nutritional school lunches and agronomic education for local farmers through its "Corn for Student Lunch" program. Through the program, Pioneer donates high-yielding hybrid corn seed, supplies and supervision; the schools provide land; and the community donates the labor to raise a corn crop. Once harvested, local corn traders purchase the corn at the market or premium price. All proceeds from the crop are donated to the schools to fund more nutritional lunches. In addition to increasing funds to support school lunch programs, local growers also get more experience with the seed technology and agronomic practices for their area. In 2004, the Pioneer "Corn for Student Lunch" program was implemented in four additional schools, for a total of 36 school-partners throughout 14 of Thailand's major corn-growing provinces.

In 2003 alone, the "Corn for Student Lunch" program generated US $21,280 for 32 schools. The increase in school nutrition funds helps improve children's health and builds self-sufficiency in Thailand communities. "With the contribution from this program, we reduced the nutritional deficiency rate of our students from 32 percent in 2002 to 20 percent in 2003," said Kem Pattane, director, Ban Wangplapom School in Nongbualamphoo.