School-age children need a good diet in order to develop and grow well, to study, to be protected from disease, and to have the energy to get through the day.

Some of today's biggest crisis points are nutrition, the environment, livelihoods and education. In all these areas, school gardens are making a proven contribution to children's wellbeing, understanding and life prospects. FAO's manual Setting up and running a school garden helps schools, governments and NGOs to establish gardens and to make them successful.

The Planning Guide consists of a technical reader, a set of worksheets and a classroom curriculum chart. This practical hands-on material provides background information on the aims of nutrition education in schools and gives step-by-step guidance in planning or redesigning a nutrition education classroom curriculum and related school-based nutrition actions. The material can be used at national or local level and is intended for use by a team of educators and health staff, including education inspectors, curriculum planners, teacher educators, teachers, nutritionists and health workers.