Food for thought: Edible gardens in New Zealand primary and secondary schools

Issue addressed: School gardens are a potentially important health promotion tool, allowing the growth and consumption of fruit and vegetables to be embedded within the students' educational experience. This study aimed to investigate the implementation of edible gardens in New Zealand (NZ) pri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health promotion journal of Australia Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 70 - 73
Main Authors: Collins, C., Richards, R., Reeder, A. I., Gray, A. R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Australia Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2015
Subjects:
Activity programs in education
Agriculture - methods
Community
Consumption
Core curriculum
Curricula
Curriculum
Education
Educational policy
Educational technology
Elementary schools
Evaluation
Food
Fruit
Fruits
Funding
Gardens
Gardens & gardening
Health education
Health promotion
Health Promotion - methods
Healthy food
Humans
Implementation
Learning
New Zealand
Nutrition research
Physical education
Promotion
Questionnaires
Reading
School principals
Schools
Science
Secondary schools
Students
Studies
Study and teaching
Surveys and Questionnaires
Sustainability
Teaching
Trees
Values
Vegetable gardening
Vegetables
New Zealand
ISSN:1036-1073, 2201-1617
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Issue addressed: School gardens are a potentially important health promotion tool, allowing the growth and consumption of fruit and vegetables to be embedded within the students' educational experience. This study aimed to investigate the implementation of edible gardens in New Zealand (NZ) primary and secondary schools. Methods: A questionnaire mailed to principals from a randomly selected sample of 764 NZ schools included questions on whether or not the school had a garden and, if so, what produce was grown; how long the garden had been in place; how harvested crops were distributed; and curriculum integration. Results: Among 491 responding schools (64.3% response rate), 52.9% currently had an edible garden - with most gardens started in the previous two years. Vegetables, herbs and tree fruit were commonly grown. Gardens were integrated into curriculum subjects, cooking lessons, recipes and messages promoting increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusions: Edible gardens were common within NZ schools, though often relatively new, and were used for teaching in a variety of curriculum areas.
Bibliography:HPJA.jpg
Health Promotion Journal of Australia: Official Journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals, Vol. 26, No. 1, Apr 2015: 70-73
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ISSN:1036-1073
2201-1617
DOI:10.1071/HE14082