Organic Food Production in Schools for Sustainability and Healty Future Generations

Project summary

In our project we will focus on organic farming because we consider it is very important for our pupils to learn about healthy feeding. We want to say “Stop!” to chemicals and unhealthy food. We aim to form organic agricultural fields in our schools and to help students get acquainted with organic agriculture. Getting involved in project activities, we claim/think/suppose that our students will gain more and more information and skills about organic agriculture and will use these results in their daily lives. Our students and partners will benefit from the project from the producing part till consuming of the products.Our first educational objective is to make our students aware of the importance of organic food consumption. Students, their parents and also school staff will be informed and involved in this process. Our main social objective is to inspire other schools in the area to create herb gardens and to promote healthy feeding. Our objectives are as follow :1) Each partner school will create a herb garden which will help our students to learn how to feed themselves in a healthy manner.2) Meals will be accompanied by a garden and nutrition curriculum that teaches students about where their food comes from, how it’s grown and why it’s good for them.3) Students will learn more about organic farming and gardening practices while gaining an understanding of where their food comes from and what happens to it before arriving on their plates.4) We will build prefabricated kitchens next to our herb gardens where fresh food can be cooked and served.5) We will offer fresh food like salad bars during lunch time.6) Students will learn about the harmful effects of pesticides in order to understand why they farm organically at the school.7) Students will learn about natural ways to grow crops which are not harmful for their health.8) We want to break the cycle of unhealthy pre-packaged food, which is heated and served in most school canteens.In the very middle of the modern life, we will give the children an opportunity to grow organic food by founding hobby gardens in their school yard. In these hobby gardens, students will come closer to the nature through organic agricultural activities.9) We aim to protect human, plant and animal health without polluting the air.10) Students will learn practical organic agriculture in the herb garden which has been founded in the school garden.11) We want to raise awareness about the environmental impact of understanding the “from seed to plant” idea. 12) We want to inform children (the future grown-ups) about the importance of consuming organic food in terms of human health; also, we want to encourage parents to consume organic food for healthy feeding.13) We want to encourage all members of the society to consume organic food; our premise is the idea that healthy feeding starts at early ages.14) We want to avoid childhood obesity while cultivating young champions of sustainable food.The partnership will involve six partner schools from five countries: Czech Republic, Turkey, Austria, Sweden and Romania. All schools have developed activities related to agriculture and would like to promote organic farming. Students will be involved in activities such as:- creation of website, project pages on eTwining platform, social networking sites, etc.;- preparing and making seminars on the topic;- visiting farms;- participate in training on organic farming;- holding courses in school;- organizing meetings with other schools, experts, farmers, etc;- prepare a herb garden and grow plants;- prepare meals with the plants grown in the herb garden;- create brochures and leaflets on the topic;- take interviews, write articles in the projects' newspaper or magazine;- create short films, organize Photography Exhibitions, publish a book, etc. After participating to project activities, students will enhance their skill through nurturing plants. They will get self-satisfaction by producing and consuming what they harvest and raise awareness and appreciation for environment. Teachers will get a chance to do something different with their students collaboratively and they will strengthen their communication with students and parents. School will be an environmental-friendly place and serve as a model. It will enable a motivating relationship among students, parents and teachers. Parents will become more actively involved in school issues by sharing their childerens’ experiences. After finishing the Project, we aim to maintain the following activities:- herb gardens will remain and will be developed by students each year;- organize a "Let's eat together what we produce" day, with the participation of school staff, students and their parents each year;- most important of all , the habits of students related with environment and healthy nutrition will be long lasting;- we will ensure the resources needed to sustain these activities through sponsorship, etc.