Plant a seed and watch it grow!
School gardens have been around for over 100 years, and school districts continue to use them today to establish healthy eating habits; as educational tools in the classroom; and to promote community inclusion. The fact sheet for farm to school stakeholders provides examples of school gardens that have taken root, and resources to continue growth: TEACHING GARDENS in Tennessee, aquaponics systems in Montana, salad bars in New Mexico, and garden based curriculum in Guam. Across the United States schools are growing gardens to provide food for child nutrition programs, connect children to the source of their food, and create hands-on interdisciplinary classrooms. School gardens pre-date the National School Lunch Program; the Federal Government has been encouraging school gardening since the early 1900s, even building a “School Garden Army” during World War I and supporting victory gardens at schools during World War II. USDA encourages school gardens by providing grant funding, guidance and resources, and support for food service personnel who are interested in purchasing products from a school garden. For additional information on school gardens across the Nation, check out the latest findings from the USDA Farm to School Census. Space for Gardens in All Seasons. School gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and districts
with varying amounts of land are finding ways to establish gardens both within and outside of school grounds. Gardens can be as simple as a few containers on a windowsill or can cover many acres, and gardens can thrive in all climates. Program operators find that even small gardens help children gain familiarity and comfort with the fruits and vegetables they are seeing more of at meal times. Districts are also overcoming growing season challenges in creative and innovative ways. Even in Montana, where the traditional growing season just barely overlaps with the school year, season extension techniques make it possible for students to garden all year long. Using School Garden Produce in the Cafeteria Food service directors use school garden products in the cafeteria every day, from herbs to spice up a pizza, to serving garden-grown lettuce on the salad bar, to roasting vegetables as part of a reimbursable meal. Foods produced in a garden operated or funded by the food service account can be used in the meal service and can be used for educational purposes. Produce can be procured from school gardens not funded by the food service account using a variety of procurement methods such as through an interdepartmental agreement, informal (small or micro purchase) procurement methods, or via a donation to the school meal program. Gardens as Classrooms, school gardens are living laboratories that create teaching
opportunities ripe for nutrition and agriculture education and experiential education across all disciplines. USDA has free resources for nutrition education lessons in the
garden through Team Nutrition, and lists garden-based curriculum on the USDA Farm to School Resources page. Food Safety in the Garden, food safety is a priority for all food served in child nutrition programs and products that come from school gardens are
no exception. Food from school gardens has the shortest physical distance to travel from harvest to plate, so its safety can be managed with more direct oversight than food
that travels long distances – a food safety benefit. While safe growing, harvesting and storage practices should be followed when implementing school gardens, there is no
research that indicates produce from school gardens carries greater food safety risk than produce from other sources. There are also children who work in the fields, that make sure the fields are taken care of, and the food is grown right, and able to eat. The nature of agricultural work exposes child laborers to many risks and dangers, many attributed to the following types of work or conditions. Every year, approximately 115 children die in an agricultural-related incident, and nearly 12,000 experience a non-fatal injury.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/school-gardens
https://www.google.com/search?q=Child+labor+in+feilds