Research & reports

Kamal Prasad Acharya, Chitra Bahadur Budhathoki, Birgitte Bjønness, Bhimsen Devkota · Educational Action Research · Nepal

This participatory action research in a community school in Nepal's Chitwan district investigated school gardening as a contextual scaffold for science learning among sixth and seventh graders. Initial barriers included time allocation and curriculum integration, but students, teachers, and parents later reported active engagement. Overall, school gardening activities positively affected students' understanding of scientific concepts.

Eliot Gee, Hyun-Ju Lee · · Global

Gee and Lee explore the incorporation of local food biodiversity into food and agriculture innovations, with attention to emerging youth-led practices. The chapter highlights opportunities and challenges of mobile apps, urban agriculture, and youth movements. These varied examples are assessed to suggest how social and technological innovative approaches can be leveraged to ensure fair and effective promotion and protection of local food biodiversity across the producer–consumer spectrum.

Koh Ming Wei, Samuel Bikajle · · Republic of the Marshall Islands

This paper describes the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) School Learning Garden Program, which adapts the Ku Aina Pa teacher training program from Hawai‘i. The program focuses on using learning gardens as outdoor labs for interdisciplinary environmental education, opening new avenues for teaching and learning in the RMI.

Acuña Caro, Camilo Andrés · · Colombia (Bogota)

This applied research aimed to demonstrate the role of the Bogota Botanical Garden's Network of School Vegetable Gardens in applying and strengthening environmental education policy. Using a diagnostic-based methodological framework, the study examined objectives, thematic lines, and practices of participating school gardens. The findings are intended to provide proposals and recommendations for implementing future school gardens as pedagogical instruments for environmental education.

Julian Gonsalves, Danny Hunter, Nina Lauridsen · · Global

School garden programs have been a popular development intervention over past decades, with objectives varying from teaching improved farming skills and supporting community food production to demonstrating agricultural practices in developing countries. This chapter provides a history of school gardens and an overview of their multiple benefits. These benefits include enhanced understanding of agriculture and nutrition, improved farming and livelihood skills, positive behavioral changes towards food, agrobiodiversity conservation, understanding climate change impacts, enhanced academic performance, empowerment of girls and women, cultural reconnection for indigenous children, and addressing schoolchildren's mental health.

Pepijn Schreinemachers, Ghassan Baliki, Rachana Manandhar Shrestha, Dhruba Raj Bhattarai, Ishwori Prasad Gautam, Puspa Lal Ghimire, Bhishma P. Subedi, Tilman Brück · Global Food Security · Nepal

A one-year cluster randomized controlled trial in Nepal (2018-2019) with 779 schoolchildren (8-12) and their caregivers across 30 schools tested the impact of combining school and home gardens on food choices. The intervention increased caregivers' food and nutrition knowledge by 26%, agricultural knowledge by 5%, liking for vegetables by 10%, and home garden productivity by 15%. For children, it had no effect on food and nutrition knowledge but increased their liking for vegetables by 6%, healthy food practices, and vegetable consumption by 15-26% across different periods.

Monika Bajaj · · Global

This chapter explores the role of experiential learning in environmental education, noting that traditional methods often lack personal engagement. Experiential learning, through direct, hands-on experiences, aims to foster ecological literacy, emotional connections to nature, critical thinking, and sustainable behaviors. The chapter discusses its principles, alignment with environmental education goals, and ability to enhance understanding of ecological systems, promote interdisciplinary thinking, and encourage civic engagement.

Charoni Eugenia · · Haiti

A case study was conducted on the two-year efforts of the nonprofit Foundation Pierre Smith Mondelus to address illiteracy in the Milot commune, northern Haiti. The foundation offers eight programs, including literacy, education, and a community garden. Based on observations, testimonies, and test scores, the literacy and education programs were shown to have practical and sociopsychological impacts.

Peter Loxley · · Global

This chapter presents three topics to help teachers guide children in understanding the scientific concept of interdependence, observable in school gardens and other outdoor learning areas. It outlines a progression from Key Stage 1, where children explore plant growth conditions and animal feeding, to lower Key Stage 2, focusing on plants as food producers and food chains/webs, and finally to upper Key Stage 2, where students learn about dependence and competition for resources within ecosystems. Subject knowledge for teaching this concept is provided.

Susan Veldheer, Christina Scartozzi, Amy Knehans, Tamara K. Oser, Natasha Sood, Francis Puleo, Joie Cooper, Daniel R. George, Alicia J. Cohen, Renate M. Winkels · Current Developments in Nutrition · Global

This systematic scoping review analyzed 46 manuscripts from 30 studies published between 1990 and 2019 to understand clinical strategies used by healthcare organizations to increase patient access to fruits and vegetables (F&V). Six program models were identified, including garden-based programs and CSA. The overall quality of the included studies was weak due to selection bias and incomplete reporting, with only 6 out of 30 studies including a control group. While some studies showed improvements in dietary intake, objective health markers such as blood pressure and BMI had mixed results.

Karen Charlton, Teagan Comerford, Natika Deavin, Karen Walton · Public Health Nutrition · Global

This systematic literature review identified key characteristics of successful experiential nutrition interventions aimed at changing nutrition-related cognitive and behavioral outcomes in primary schoolchildren. From 3800 articles identified across five databases (CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, Academic Search Complete), 67 were eligible, and 42 were defined as successful. Nutrition education (when combined with taste testing), cooking-related activities, and gardening interventions increased children's willingness to taste unfamiliar foods, improved their cooking and food preparation skills, and increased nutritional knowledge.

Emilita Monville‐Oro, Imelda Angeles‐Agdeppa, Irish P. Baguilat, Julian Gonsalves, Mario V. Capanzana · · Philippines

The Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) collaborated with the Department of Education to develop nutrition education modules for elementary schoolchildren, integrating classroom, garden, and home activities. A survey in two towns found that pre-school children in households with home gardens ate vegetables more frequently and had higher dietary diversity scores than those without. NCP also promoted nutritional values through TV ads featuring student-written poems, which received an award in 1985.

Abby M. Lohr, Keegan C. Krause, D. Jean McClelland, Noah Van Gorden, Lynn B. Gerald, Vincent J. Del Casino, Ada M. Wilkinson‐Lee, Scott C. Carvajal · Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning · Global

This scoping review synthesized evidence on the impact of school gardens on youth Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), screening 1589 abstracts and 76 full-text articles to include eight studies. While qualitative studies suggested a positive influence on SEL, quantitative studies showed few statistically significant results. Therefore, current evidence from qualitative research indicates school garden programs have the potential to successfully enhance experiences that promote SEL, but more research is needed to further investigate this claim.

Jefry Joel López Acevedo · REICE Revista Electrónica de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas · Nicaragua

A 2019 case study at the Rubén Darío educational center in Nicaragua investigated the operation of a school garden, its production, connection to food and nutritional security, and its use as a pedagogical tool in primary education. The garden facilitated food availability, access, and consumption, with harvests complementing school snacks. Furthermore, 100% of primary school teachers utilized the school garden as a pedagogical tool, allowing students to apply theory to practice.

In-Kyoung Hong, Hyung-Kwon Yun, Young-Bin Jung, Sang-Mi Lee · Journal of people, plants, and environment · Global

To derive indicators for assessing the service value of educational farming experiences using school gardens, literature review, the Delphi method, exploratory factor analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were employed. The study classified indicators into four criteria: educational value, health value, economic value, and ecological and environmental value, comprising 13 items and 33 sub-factors. Experts rated educational value as the most important, followed by health, ecological and environmental, and economic values.

É. Nagy · Journal of Applied Technical and Educational Sciences · Hungary

A test was administered to 800 Hungarian science teachers to gather their opinions on their habits of going out into nature while teaching. This study aims to summarize the results of this test, which also extends to species diversity matters such as examining school gardens or nearby trees.

Morten Kromann Nielsen, Pernille Malberg Dyg, Karen Wistoft · Food Culture & Society · Denmark

This article explores taste education within the outdoor educational context of Danish school gardens, specifically the "Gardens for Bellies" program. It found that despite lacking an explicit pedagogy of taste, tasting is central to student involvement, encouraging reflection and autonomous taste judgments. The study suggests a critical, reflective, and systematic approach to taste education can link school garden experiences to broader educational goals.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, Govinda Prasad Devkota, Krishna P. Dhakal · Higher Education Studies · Nepal

This article explores the possibilities of using eco-san in school gardens in Nepalese community schools, focusing on transformative pedagogical impacts on the social learning environment. The use of urine as fertilizer through eco-san positively impacted students' meaningful engagement, social connections, and confidence development, as shown by qualitative data from students, parents, and teachers. Parents and teachers highly valued increased student engagement, opportunities for experiential learning through dialogue conferences, and the building of social skills like cooperation and argumentation.

Effrosini Melissourgou, Nefeli Kassari, Irene Manoukaraki, George Melissourgos, Amane Awir, Irene Vergaki, Yiannis Dramitinos, Ariadne Delilai, Laith Yazi, Nektarios Tsagliotis · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · Global

This report shares 12 years of knowledge and practice regarding companion planting in a school garden, where seed plants are prepared in a greenhouse and transplanted to raised beds. Through testing many combinations, it was found that some combinations help companion plants flourish, leading to improved vegetable crops and quality products for the community.

Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita, Madeleine Fombad · Journal of Information & Knowledge Management · Zimbabwe

This paper examines existing knowledge management strategies for climate change adaptation among selected environmental organizations and libraries in Zimbabwe, specifically in Harare. It notes that current strategies are not fully leveraged to achieve national development goals. The paper aims to recommend a knowledge management strategy for climate change adaptation to enhance urban farming among urban farmers in Harare, suggesting that a well-coordinated national strategy can contribute to sustainable urban farming.

H. Tayal Neeraj · · Global

This chapter explores the potential of home gardening, as part of urban agriculture, to contribute to human health through improved nutrition. While home gardens can provide nutrient-dense foods, the potential health impact of soil contamination must be addressed, as urbanized soils tend to have elevated levels of heavy metals and other toxins.

Govinda Prasad Devkota, Sheri Lee Bastien, Petter D. Jenssen, Manoj K. Pandey, Bhimsen Devkota, Shyam Krishna Maharjan · International Education Studies · Nepal

This Participatory Action Research study in Nepal investigated five teachers' perceptions of using urine diversion dry toilets (UDDTs) and human urine as fertilizer in school gardens. Few teachers accepted human urine as fertilizer, considering it impure and expressing unwillingness to use it on crops. Teachers disliked UDDTs due to perceived bad odor and uncomfortable sitting positions, especially for females, and felt urine as fertilizer was unnecessary.

Linda Corkery, Sara Padgett Kjaersgaard, Lisa Thomson · · Australia

This case study was undertaken in collaboration with Indigenous practice partner Jiwah. One of the core principles underpinning its development and collaboration is the concept of 'give back'. The research partners are committed to sharing the knowledge that was shared with them, with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Stepha McMullin, Barbara Stadlmayr, Erick Ngethe, Brendah Wekesa, Ken Njogu, Agnes Gachuiri, Ben Mbaya, Agnes Katiwa, Ramni Jamnadass · · Global

This chapter discusses the role of neglected indigenous fruit trees in providing vital minerals and micronutrients to children and communities, and in addressing seasonality and hunger periods. It highlights their diversity, food composition, and contribution to dietary needs, as well as a 'portfolio approach' for addressing nutritional gaps. School gardens are presented as an entry point for integrating and promoting these trees for nutrition education and community engagement.

Gülşah KURU, Esra DEMİR ÖZTÜRK, Furkan Atmaca · İlköğretim Online · Global

A study using semi-structured interviews with 30 primary school teachers and 12 school managers revealed opinions on the evaluation of primary school gardens. The majority of participants believed their school gardens were inadequate, citing examples such as a lack of playgrounds, insufficient green areas, and the use of gardens as car parks.