Making food and nature tangible with school gardens

With the school garden initiative, we aim to establish school gardens as vibrant learning environments where children can discover the cultivation of vegetables in a playful manner and develop an awareness of healthy eating. Through communal gardening, students experience where our food comes from, how it grows, and what value it has.

Working together in the school garden not only strengthens teamwork but also promotes knowledge of vegetable cultivation and practical growing methods and responsible interaction with nature. Thus, school gardens make an important contribution to education for sustainable development and appreciation of food and its production.

The conditions for accessing healthy foods vary around the world. Our goal is to enable children to have access to healthy food and practical environmental education.

3,990 m² of cultivated land in São Paulo

In Brazil, KWS partners with the non-profit organization STÄDTE OHNE HUNGER e.V. to provide children in the multimillion metropolis of São Paulo with access to healthy nutrition and practical education. While many schools have land, they often lack the resources to use it effectively.

To date, school gardens have been established at ten public schools, benefiting around 5,000 students. On plots ranging from 100 to 3,000 square meters, students grow lettuce, peppers, cabbage, beetroot, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and coriander together. Larger sites also include fruit trees. The harvested fruits and vegetables are used in school cafeterias and, for many children, provide the only nutritious meal of the day. Any surplus can be taken home, allowing families and particularly vulnerable community members to benefit from the project as well.

Learning how food grows

Together with our partner Acker e.V., KWS is committed to giving children and young people hands-on access to nature, nutrition, and agriculture. As a supporting partner of the educational program GemüseAckerdemie, KWS has enabled the establishment of four school gardens in Berlin and one school garden in Bergen to date.

School gardens create valuable learning environments beyond the classroom. Here, students sow, plant, care for, and harvest their own vegetables, experiencing firsthand how food grows from a seed. Along the way, they learn about natural cycles, practical cultivation methods, and the principles of a balanced diet.

Working in the school garden encourages curiosity, a sense of responsibility, and practical knowledge. At the same time, it helps develop a better understanding of where our food comes from and the value of agricultural work.

Students also gain insight into the time, care, and resources required to grow food. These experiences strengthen the appreciation for food and promote a more conscious approach to it.

_{Photo: © Kristian Barthen for Acker e.V.}