The solution to many of the serious problems in this country does not always need multi-billion-peso budgets and the allocation of huge logistical resources.

Sometimes, the solution is staring at us right in the face. But we fail to see or appreciate it because many of our leaders seem to think in terms of ambitious, impact-oriented, multi-billion-peso projects that fail to take off for lack of resources.

Take malnutrition, for instance. It is an age-old problem brought about by the continuing poverty of millions of our countrymen, with 26 of every 100 preschool children alone suffering from this malady.         As food production advocate, Sen. Edgardo Angara noted that  the problem is due to their poor diet that consists mainly of 85 percent  carbohydrates and only five-percent fibrous and nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Yet the reality is that there are simple, easy-to-do steps that can be adopted to substantially mitigate the situation. Not on a national level right away, but province by province; and if resources permit, perhaps region by region.

The “Oh My Gulay!” project is one such pragmatic approach to this problem. It was launched by Senator Angara in February this year, with East West Seed Co. as implementing partner.

It is worth mentioning here that the project does not aim to end malnutrition in one fell swoop. Rather, it intends to nip at the problem in a consistent, systematic manner -- by thinking small and applying modest means.

The overall objective of the project is to encourage people to plant, produce, and consume more vegetables and fruits as a modest but effective way of combating malnutrition. It is enlisting the participation of schools, communities, and families in the project and soliciting support from private business.

OMG aims to enlist a total of 45,000 public elementary schools and high schools all over the country. Yet it is pragmatic enough to realize that it does not have sufficient financial and logistical resources to attack the problem mightily. Thus, it started with just 40 schools establishing vegetable gardens in the campus.

The wonder of it all is that the intrinsic merit, the ease in implementation, and the sustainability of this “thinking small” project has apparently impressed sponsors and donors in a big way.

Those that have extended a helping hand so far are the Departments of Education, Social Welfare and Development, Science and Technology, and Agriculture and its Bureau of Plant Industry; the Food and Nutrition Research Institute; and the National Nutrition Council.

The private sector list includes Aboitiz Foundation, Viva Entertainment, ABS-CBN, Mead Johnson, Pfizer, Unilever, Asian Terminals, Inc., Banco de Oro Foundation, Sunwest Care Foundation, and the Infant Pediatrics Association of the Philippines.

OMG has now taken roots in many places in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. It is in Pangasinan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, and the Bicol provinces in Luzon. The exemplars of school participation are the Sto. Cristo elementary School in Quezon City, the Diteki Elementary School in Aurora, Iloilo’s Lanag Norte Elementary School in the Visayas and Cagayan de Oro City’s Tablon Elementary School in Mindanao.

Sometimes, it does pay to think small and win big. Take the “Oh My Gulay!” veggie way.