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Using gardens, farms and forests as the learning lab to benefit schools

It is widely recognised that agriculture can play a powerful role in the wider learning process in rural schools. However, many attempts to make education relevant by including agriculture in primary education have been judged as unproductive and of little educational value.

Research from the Food and Agriculture Organization and UNESCO sets out to restore the reputation of school gardening and the way that schools relate to natural resources management such as agriculture and forestry. A review of innovatory best practice from schemes in both developed and developing countries shows that agriculture has much to offer basic education and primary schooling but in ways which are quite different to traditional approaches.

Agricultural topics can be used to make substantial parts of the curriculum in a wide range of subjects more relevant to students. Garden-based learning can enable children to develop higher and broader skills such as problem-solving, leadership, group work and personal initiative.

Agricultural activities and experiences support the development of literacy, numeracy and basic scientific reasoning within the confines of a subject-based curriculum. Children may be encouraged to relate the learning process in school with the natural learning process which exists outside the classroom.

As educators recognise the value of 'hands-on' learning, there has been a significant growth in interest in learning that is based on experience and projects. Reflecting this trend, garden-based learning is now a vibrant field of both educational theory and practice.

Among the many initiatives described are:

projects in Bhutan which encourage pupils, agricultural extension workers, volunteer farmers and parents to grow fruit and vegetables to raise funds for schools and improve nutrition
Thailand’s Social Forestry, Education and Participation project which has brought schools and communities closer together by involving students in studying and addressing local village forest management problems
a Sri Lankan school where practical activities in an experimental agricultural plot also help pupils to learn mathematics and support English language teaching
a Kenyan action research project reviving interest in traditional vegetables while children are now successfully promoting cultivation and consumption of a diverse range of nutritious vegetables
landcare programmes in the Philippines taking a holistic approach to encourage schools and communities to cooperate to improve soil and water conservation
a scheme in the Chinese city of Chongqing which has taught basic farming techniques to 100 000 pupils to prepare them to return to the countryside with viable livelihoods.

The authors advise policy-makers to recognise that:

There are no universal models of garden-based learning: each culture or community must design a plan that addresses the needs of their own learners and educators.
Garden-based learning’s greatest contribution is to provide a path into ecological literacy and sustainable development that is increasingly blocked by urban migration and consumerism.
School gardens can teach children about nutrition and how to make healthier food choices.
It is important to tackle issues which prevent contextualised learning from taking place: teachers’ workload, their lack of experience and training, the impact of prioritisation of examination-oriented learning and neglect of gardens during school holidays.

Today there is broad agreement on the importance of educating children through experience, providing a sense of ecological awareness and recognising the unique potential of every child. Establishment of sustainable well-managed school gardens can help to make these hopes a reality.

Source(s):
‘Making learning relevant: principles and evidence from recent experiences’ chapter 3 in ‘Education for rural development: towards new policy responses’ by David Atchoarena and Lavinia Gasperini, Food and Agriculture Organization and UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, by Peter Taylor, Daniel Desmond, James Grieshop and Aarti Subramaniam, 2003 Full document.

Funded by: Food and Agriculture Organization and UNESCO

id21 Research Highlight: 28 October 2004

Further Information:
Peter Taylor
Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9RE
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1273 678691
Fax: +44 (0)1273 621202
Contact the contributor: P.Taylor@ids.ac.uk

Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK

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