Organic choices for our schools
While children can develop their initial appreciation for food and eating well at home, the school environment is often responsible for reinforcing or contradicting this learned behaviour. Unfortunately many of the food choices available to school children are sub-optimal. Convenience foods, which in some instances are nothing more than highly processed amalgams of suspect ingredients, have become a staple for many children. Excessive quantities of sugar, fat, and assorted chemical additives have replaced several of the basic elements required for sound nutrition and normal development. Fortunately there are some dedicated people and organizations working hard to ensure that children receive the opportunity to learn and experience the benefits of nutritious food choices.
United Kingdom
In schools throughout the United Kingdom, there is growing demand for educational programs which encourage young people to adopt positive attitudes toward highly nutritious foods. The best of these seek to emphasise the importance of how food is grown and produced.
Commencing in September, Year of Food and Farming will provide a nationwide focus for many of these endeavors. This industry led initiative was developed through the work of Farming and Countryside Education (FACE). One of its primary aims is to remove some of the barriers which separate consumers from the biological realities of the food chain. This will require the development of new links between schools, farmers, and other representatives from the food industry. With support from their local communities, schools will be encouraged to explore some of these worthwhile opportunities.
For many schools, much of the groundwork should already have been laid. Growing Schools is a popular government program dedicated to developing the potential of outdoor classrooms as a sophisticated learning environment. Within this context students are able to investigate the many facets of natural environments, sustainability, and resource protection. The experience is integrated within the curriculum schedule of diverse subject areas. For example a geography lesson may consider human influences on the local environment while a combination of scientific and mathematical learning can be delivered through outdoor lessons involving habitat research and data collection.
One of the most widely respected and innovative programs is offered through Garden Organic. As Europe’s largest organic membership organisation and a registered charity, Garden Organic provides numerous resources for promoting the benefits of organic and sustainable gardening. Duchy Originals Garden Organic for Schools is a nationwide program which helps children to grow vegetables at school and to learn more about their food. Participating schools are encouraged to establish manageable gardens within or near their grounds. Practical gardening activities are supported by educational resources specifically developed for students and teachers. These include an informative website, print published materials, and a convenient helpline for gardening advice. Each year, the achievement of participating schools is celebrated with a competition focusing on positive qualities like enthusiasm, innovation, and cooperation.
Whether attached or independent from their schools program, Garden Organic enables many young visitors to directly experience a wide range of organic gardening methods. With its unique displays and beautiful surroundings, Garden Organic Ryton (above) demonstrates the versatility of an organic approach. Established more than twenty years ago, the entire site is devoted to the principles of sustainable organic gardening. Like any working garden, activities are scheduled to accommodate seasonal influences although there are numerous opportunities to appreciate the effectiveness of basic organic techniques like composting, mulching, and crop rotation.
A planned visit to Garden Organic’s Ryton Centre can be customised to prioritise the specific educational requirements of particular groups. Garden tours are conducted by experienced guides and there is further opportunity to include a visit to the interactive display known as The Vegetable Kingdom (above right). With the assistance of interactive software, 3D displays, and a range of hands on activities, students and visitors are introduced to the history of vegetables in the United Kingdom. The Vegetable Kingdom provides the best environment to learn about the range of vegetables available and to rediscover some of the older varieties which now appear to have been lost. Many of these facts are incorporated into a broader scientific theme which addresses the importance of genetic diversity in natural ecosystems and those influenced by human activities like gardening and agriculture. Another important theme is to raise awareness of the dietary significance of fresh vegetables. With an increasing incidence of childhood obesity, and inadequate nutrition, this type of knowledge is particularly relevant for promoting general health and physical well-being.
New Zealand
In the Pacific nation of New Zealand there is plenty of community support and encouragement for organic gardening programs to be introduced to primary and intermediate schools. Interested parties can now apply for financial assistance under the Organic Gardens in Schools Fund. Administered by WWF New Zealand, the financial assistance is provided for the purchase of gardening materials, wages for garden facilitators, and teaching resources for the classrooms. The aim is for gardening activities to become a vital component of a sustainable environment module which is fully integrated with the regular curriculum of classroom teaching and learning.
New Zealand schools are often enriched by an appreciation and respect for Maori culture including the traditional perspectives on natural resources, sustainability, and the environment. Instead of planting a European style garden, schools have the option of investigating traditional Maori plants and concepts, perhaps in the form of a Matariki garden. Matariki is the Maori name for the Pleiades star cluster. Emerging from the eastern horizon, Matariki usually becomes visible in the month of June and heralds both the traditional new year and a time for preparing new gardens in readiness for the warmer months ahead.
United States
Over recent years, health authorities across the United States have continued to identify unacceptably high incidences of childhood obesity and associated health problems. There are several districts within major cities where up to half the children aged between two and twelve are clinically overweight. Without intervention, the long-term health outlook for many of these individuals is likely to be compromised.
A combination of motivational skills and twenty-five years experience in the food industry has enabled professional chef Greg Christian to establish a decisive action program for a selected group of schools in Chicago. His vision is to transform Chicago area children into healthier and more mindful eaters by tackling one school at a time. With continuing support from parents, school employees, and health practitioners, the Organic School Project (OSP) aims to increase the acceptability and availability of nutritious food in schools and homes throughout the United States. This involves a gradual raising of awareness through targeted educational resources and hands on experience.
The OSP encourages the development of practical skills which help children to appreciate the originating source and constraints of quality produce. Willing participants are taught how to grow and harvest their own foods in school gardens or in neighbourhood organic gardens. Growing basic items like fresh tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and carrots provides many children with an empowering sense of achievement and, most importantly, the opportunity to directly experience some connection with the earth.
Positive transformation of school meals is another integral yet challenging component of the project. In the first instance most innovative concepts must somehow accommodate the economic and political constraints of a federally administered school lunch program. As it currently functions, the school lunch program generates considerable income in exchange for surplus or subsidised food resources. It is therefore subject to political influence from various agricultural and food manufacturing interests. At the same time, numerous logistical preparations are required to deliver the service and fulfill the legislative requirements of the task.
The Chicago Public School System alone is required to sustain several hundred thousand children every day. Given this reality, there’s limited potential for achieving dramatic and sustainable changes in a brief period of time. Under guidance from Greg Christian, the OSP avoids apportioning blame within the current system. There’s a genuine sense of collective guilt although Christian sees minimal benefit in alienating school administrators or their existing food service contractors. In a humble and conciliatory manner, OSP is prepared to collaborate with all parties, continuing to raise awareness and perhaps achieve a satisfactory outcome over the long term.
A patient and considered approach is equally relevant in respect to school menu adjustments. While it might entice media interest, Christian feels that it’s neither reasonable nor sustainable to radically alter a familiar school menu without prior consultation and an appropriate acclimatisation period for what amounts to a significant cultural adjustment. If kids are used to receiving pizza and baked chicken portions for lunch, the best way to improve their diet is to progressively increase the number of nutritious ingredients. OSP commences their menu transformation by offering a familiar food like pizza with organic wholemeal bases and a side serving of salad.
Of course, there’s a clear strategy for promoting organically grown fruit and vegetables and freshly prepared rather than highly refined or processed foods. Ultimately, however, the budget must somehow expand as the quality of the food improves. The long-term success of their school-based interventions depend on sourcing high quality yet affordable ingredients. As a non-profit organisation, OSP seeks to sustain its operations through external fundraising and charitable donations. While acknowledging helpful support from companies like Whole Food Markets, their current resources are limited.
There are separate issues which could threaten the long-term benefits of their interventions, irrespective of receiving sufficient funding. Christian encourages the model of local food production but isn’t entirely convinced that it can be independently sustained by a significant number of schools. It will probably require lots of mutual effort and perseverance for any school to establish ongoing relationships with food enterprises including organic farmers, retailers, and catering agencies. Perhaps it would be advantageous to include some national or multinational participants with the necessary resources to guarantee consistency of quality and supply?
The combination of more positive foods and gardening activities provide the ideal foundation for developing curriculum-based activities to explore some of the complexities and issues surrounding the production and distribution of contemporary food resources. With age appropriate supervision and support, children are encouraged to evaluate the characteristics of a range of food items and to identify whether these can provide the essential components of adequate nutrition. The importance of making conscious and informed decisions about food is strongly emphasised in the Organic School Project. The incentive is that many of their student participants will accept the opportunity to develop positive eating habits for the remainder of their lives.
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