LET US EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN THE CORRECT WAY OF FARMING, FOOD CHOISE, COOKING AND EATING HABITS
Slow food western Kenya in partnership with SMART Initiative (Sustainable Mobilization of Agricultural Resource Technologies) which is a community based not-for profit organization working with farmers in west Pokot and north Rift zone are promoting school programs i.e. Garden, food exhibition and tastings in schools in these Zones. The project was initiated by Peter Namianya a former student of slow food university in Pollenzo upon returning back home after graduation . The idea behind this is to instill traditional knowledge on food in pupils as he strongly believe that they are potential stakeholders of tomorrow in food industry and can help shape the industry in a more sustainable way. VISION Train young people have the knowledge of growing their own fresh and nutritious local indigenous food by helping schools create, maintain, and utilize gardens that empower students to make healthy choices for themselves and the planet. Gardens offer dynamic, beautiful settings in which to integrate every discipline, Including science, math, reading, environmental studies, nutrition, and health. Such interdisciplinary approaches cultivate the talents and skills of all students while enriching the students’ capacities of observation and thinking. School garden projects nurture community spirit, common purpose, and cultural appreciation by building bridges among students, school staff, families, local Business, and organizations. MISSION Food Gardens in schools hope to inspire arbirth of food gardens so chidren can be able to enjoy gardening and growing their own food and own seeds for the next future The School Garden Project programs makes my pupils have that possibility of ownership of a piece of their school. They have that chance to interact with the plants , soil and insects there by building mutual relationship between man and the environment enjoy the responsibility of taking care of the garden and genuinely take pride in what they are doing.About school gardens and food education project
Today people use their senses less and less. Hence our touch, taste and smell have
progressively deteriorated. The pressures of time and the speed of our lives are taking
away faculties that can give us a deeper, more varied and more authentic knowledge of
the world around us.
These very senses link us to memories of important people, places and times in our lives.
The smell of a dish your grandmother used to make, the feel of the soft, smooth skin of a
newborn child, the taste of roast turkey, steak and kidney pie or the shortbread that your
mother used to make can immediately carry you back to a day, a room, a conversation you
were once a part of while sitting at the dinner table. The young generations in particular
risk losing touch with the land and the seasons. They also risk any sense of what the act of
eating really means.
Taste Education project precisely to teach young people to
develop the use of their senses and help them understand the importance of food as an
integral part of a society’s culture.
This program is different from many other food education projects because it is not
confined solely to nutrition. It also emphasizes that food means pleasure, culture and
conviviality. It teaches values and attitudes, enhances relationships and transforms the
emotions. Educational material, in the form of courses, talks, conferences and taste
workshops, is available for teachers to use in their classrooms.
SchoolGardens follow the three fundamental principles of the association’s
philosophy: Good, Clean and Fair.
Good, because sensory analysis workshops train children and parents to recognize food by
its sensory qualities and demand and appreciate quality in school cafeterias.
Clean, because young people learn to use organic and biodynamic production methods, to
source and safeguard the seeds of local food varieties and to reduce food miles by favoring
local foods.
Fair because it endorses the passing of knowledge from generation to generation,
acknowledging the social role of the elderly and of volunteers, encouraging collaboration
between diverse worlds and forming partnerships with developing countries.
