School Farms: Feeding and Educating Children

Description

This book highlights the potential of school farms to fight hunger and malnutrition by providing access to locally produced, fresh and healthy food as well as providing young students with educational opportunities to learn, interact with nature, and develop their skills. Hunger is one of the most pressing concerns we face today and there is a clear need to provide alternative sources of food to feed a fast growing population. School farms offer a sustainable opportunity to produce food locally in order to feed underprivileged students who rely on school meals as an integral part of their daily diet. Approaching the concept of school farms through four themes, problem, people, process and place, the book shows how they can play an essential role in providing sustainable and healthy food for students, the critical role educational institutions can play in promoting this process, and the positive impact hands-on farming can have on students' mental and physical well-being. Utilizing the authors' personal hands-on experiences, drawing on global case studies, the book provides a theoretical framework and practical guidance to help with the establishment of school farms and community-based gardening projects and an education system which promotes a sustainable and healthy approach to food, agriculture and the environment. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of food security, agriculture, healthy and sustainable diets, education for sustainable development and urban studies. It will also be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers involved in food policy, developing school and community projects, global health and international development, as well as education professionals. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of pictures List of figures List of tables List of editors and contributors Foreword: School farms: anachronism or innovation Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1 Problem-focused perspective Chapter 1 Food education and food for life Chapter 2 The impact of hunger on children and adolescents: School farming as a panacea Chapter 3 Fighting malnutrition and reaching Sustainable Development Goals through school farming (during the COVID-19 pandemic): Scenario in some South Asian countries – India, Nepal, and Bhutan Part 2 People-focused perspective Chapter 4 The School Farms Network in the UK: History, context, and adding value Chapter 5 Foodways, farms, and ecology: School farms and cultivation of precision agriculture in Bandung upland Chapter 6 Psychological benefits of school farms to students Chapter 7 Harithalayam campus farming mission: A case study in Kerala, India Part 3 Process-focused perspective Chapter 8 How do children and youth learn through farming and gardening activities? Chapter 9 Using the outdoors to enhance learning experiences at secondary school Chapter 10 Working towards the garden: A case study of Middle East agricultural preservation, school farming, and alternative horticultural programs Part 4 Place-focused perspective Chapter 11 The school as a potential resource for the transformation of the territory Chapter 12 School roof farms: Challenges and success pillars Chapter 13 Building community resilience: The synergy between school farms and neglected urban open spaces Chapter 14 Inclusive learning school farm environment Chapter 15 Conclusion: Toward a comprehensive perspective on the role of the school farm Reviewers Index