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FAO's conceptual understanding of School Gardens What does a national School Garden programme need? How do School Gardens relate with other child and youth-centred interventions? What assistance does FAO offer? Partnerships

FAO's conceptual understanding of School Gardens School Gardens are powerful tools for improving child nutrition and education. They have the potential to improve food security and human nutrition at the household level through replication in the home. FAO therefore encourages schools to create moderate-sized learning gardens, producing a variety of fruit and vegetables using simple techniques. This is so that teachers and parents can easily manage the garden and students can apply gardening techniques in their home. School Gardens, both urban and rural, have many benefits, such as: Increasing the relevance and quality of education for rural and urban children, through the integrated teaching of practical and academic subjects. This promotes active learning. Providing children with hands-on experience in food production, ecology and natural resource management and increasing children's knowledge of nutrition. Improving household nutrition and food security in the home, benefiting the whole family by replicating School Garden techniques at home, i.e. in the household gardens or family farms. Improving the nutritional value of school meals by supplementing them with food rich in micronutrients, fresh from the School Garden. A girl waters her family's garden. FAO stresses that School Gardens should be promoted for educational purposes, with the objective of the replication of the good gardening and nutrition practices at the family home.

Last updated: Saturday, September 30th, 2006 © FAO, 2006.