SCHOOLGARDEN= S:=20 EDUCATION AND NUTRITION GO TOGETHER, SAYS FAO

Support by Farmers and Parents Is Essential

(Reissued as=20 received.)

ROME,=20 30 June (FAO) -- School gardens can be a powerful tool to improve the = quality=20 of nutrition and education of children and their families in rural and = urban=20 areas in developing countries, if they are integrated with national=20 agricultural, nutrition and education programmes, the Food and = Agriculture=20 Organization (FAO) said today.

Since 1997, over 150 = school=20 garden microprojects have been supported by FAO=92s TeleFood programme = in more=20 than 40 countries. Larger FAO technical cooperation projects are = under=20 way, including capacity-building for long-term national school garden=20 programmes.

School garden = initiatives are=20 being supported by various FAO programmes. These include = emergency=20 rehabilitation assistance programmes in Mozambique and the Democratic = People=92s=20 Republic of Korea, a nutrition education programme in Rwanda and the = Special=20 Programme for Food Security (SPFS) in Guatemala and Sierra Leone. = In=20 = Brazil, = a=20 school garden project is being implemented in the context of the = Brazilian=20 Zero Hunger Programme.

Rich Harvest of=20 Knowledge

The main benefit of = school=20 gardens is that children learn how to grow healthy food and how to use = it for=20 better nutrition. This can best be done if the fresh garden = produce --=20 such as fruits and vegetables -- contributes to an existing school = meal=20 programme which provides the bulk of the diet.

Beyond this, school = gardens also=20 serve for environmental education and for personal and social = development by=20 adding a practical dimension to these subjects. They may also = reinforce=20 basic academic skills like reading, writing, biology and arithmetic. =

The FAO, therefore, = encourages=20 schools to create learning gardens of moderate size, which can be = easily=20 managed by students, teachers and parents, but which include a great = variety=20 of different nutritious vegetables and fruits, as well as occasionally = some=20 small-scale livestock like chickens, rabbits and fish. = Production=20 methods are deliberately kept simple so that they can be easily = replicated by=20 students and parents at their homes.

=93Although = children, teachers,=20 parents and the responsible ministries are enthusiastic about their = school=20 gardens, they often face difficult challenges. Not every school = has=20 sufficient land and water available. In addition, the = unavailability of=20 quality seeds can prevent children from repeating at home what they = have=20 learned in school=94, said Ellen Muehlhoff, senior officer in FAO=92s = Food and=20 Nutrition Division.

Synergies

Therefore, it is = important to=20 encourage the school community and farmers to support the schools and = to make=20 use of synergies with rural development and agriculture programmes. =

Emerging = partnerships with the=20 World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund = (UNICEF) and=20 local non-governmental organizations to link school gardens to school = feeding=20 and school health programmes also help schools to overcome the = constraints=20 they encounter.

The FAO school = garden technical=20 projects are related also to the global flagship partnership programme = on=20 =93Education for Rural People=94 (ERP), launched in 2002 during the = World Summit=20 on Sustainable Development. They are expected to be a component = in the=20 new FAO/World Health Organization (WHO) joint initiative -- =93Fruit = and=20 Vegetables for Health=94 -- to enhance fruit and vegetable = consumption.

In 2004, the FAO and = the United=20 Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) = Institute=20 of Education Planning co-published a book on school gardening, = entitled=20 =93Revisiting garden-based learning in basic education=94. The = book=20 addresses the impact of school gardens on community life, reviews the = history=20 and theoretical frameworks of school gardens, and presents the results = of=20 specific evaluations of selected programmes around the world.

An FAO concept note = on school=20 gardens, recently issued, explains how to improve child nutrition and=20 education through the promotion of school garden programmes.

Contact: = I=F1igo Alvarez,=20 Media Relations, e-mail: inigo.alvarez@fao.org, tells: (+39) 06 570 = 52518,=20 (+39) 338 1381778.

Radio: Liliane = Kambirigi,=20 Radio Information Officer, (+39) 06 570 53223. Television: Bou = Downes,=20 TV Information Officer, (+39) 06 570 55980/53963. Photos: = FAO's=20 photo library offers hi-quality images free of charge. Visit=20 http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/photo/. Online news from = FAO: =20 http://www.fao.org/newsroom/.

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