Do school food gardens contribute towards food and nutrition security for primary school aged children? A comparative case study of the benefits of and resources needed for school food gardens using selected schools in Cape Town, South Africa
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Date
2023
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University of the Western Cape
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to understand the contribution of school food gardens to the food and nutrition security of primary school aged children. This contribution has not always been clear, and this study gives a more in-depth understanding. With the foundation that food and nutrition security is a human right, a food justice approach is deployed and developed. This is relevant in a South African context with a particular history of racial injustice and dehumanisation. Using a case study, this comparative study found that school food gardens have the potential to add an additional layer of food and nutrition security to the diets of school children. In addition to this, school food gardens can improve the food literacy of children. This study found that when children spent time in food gardens, they often had positive relationships with vegetables, had improved knowledge of fresh produce and made improved dietary choices regarding vegetables. School food gardens can also contribute towards education and livelihood outcomes. The study also found that considerable resources are needed to implement school food gardens, both material and human. The availability of these resources and whether they are optimally utilised in gardens needs to be decided by those who are to benefit from the gardens. Decisions such as these reinforce the importance of agency as a crucial dimension of food and nutrition security. The significance of this study is that it contributes to the understanding that agency is an essential component of food and nutrition and must be considered as a crucial factor in any initiative that aims to address this issue with primary school aged children.
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Keywords
Food and nutrition security, school food gardens, children, food justice, food literacy