One of the core passions behind setting up my business is to find ways to educate children in not only healthy eating but also education of the food cycle. I am currently training some adults of varying ages in my corporate workplace and not one of them new whether it took a rooster for a chicken to produce eggs. We really have fallen a long way in our understanding of food and the processes involved of where it comes from and how it is produced, packaged and transported to our dining room table.

One of the contacts I have made since starting my business is James Bray, a nutritionist with the University of Newcastle, here in NSW. After an exchange of emails, James kindly sent me some fascinating articles about studies that have been carried out in the United States into educating kids through setting up vegetable gardens in Schoolyards. This wonderful tool that not only educates kids where some of their supermarket food comes from, also enhances, through practical application, the maintenance of these gardens, teamwork, psychosocial development and cooperation will their peers.

Over 2,000 gardens in the state of California have schoolyard programs established, and many more nationwide. There are official government programs such as Farm-to-School, and Edible Schoolyard, that run a 12 and 17 week program that not only includes classroom theory but also takes the kids into the schoolyard to establish and grows vegetables for consumption, selling at local markets or school fetes. Alternatively some schools have set up kitchens where the children can learn basic cookery with the produce they have grown.

These programs are primarily run for kids between the ages of 7-11, a prime age to teach the basic of not only healthy eating, but environmental concern and basic science. Schools also invite local farmers in to talk about traditional and modern farming, its challenges and future sustainability methods. Within some of these programs schools have made agreements with farmers that local produce will be used in school meals and in exchange school trips are made where children can observe a working farm.

There are of course hurdles to overcome when establishing such a program, such as who looks after the beds after the program has finished, how to avoid graffiti or damage from uninvolved persons and maintenance throughout a holiday period. Teachers, followed by parent volunteers and then students continued to maintain the beds once the program was finished or over the holiday period throughout many of the schools in California. Another interesting point to note is that one school in California recorded that the children involved in such a program felt more attached to the school and motivated them to work harder and engage themselves in many other topic areas.

Although there has been little study into the consumption of eating fruit and vegetables and obesity, “inadequate consumption of vegetables among adolescents has been correlated with a range of poorer academic and health outcomes”(Ozer, E. 2006). Broader school curriculum can reinforce the practical teaching that is done in the schoolyard. Probably the most important support from an educational stance is to cease selling soft drinks and unhealthy food options in the canteen during school hours.

There is currently a study being conducted here in Australia into the health benefits of having schoolyard gardens. I look forward to the results. Growing produce in school is not just about digging around in the dirt for a few weeks, observing something grow until it has matured ready to harvest. Growing produce needs to be taught hand in hand with nutrition, environmental awareness and science. This combination will help teach our children that the only way to establish a sustainable world, populated by healthy people, is to engage schools and communities into growing their produce locally and teaching the basics of healthy living.

www.edibleschoolgardens.org
www.farmtoschool.org