6533b86efe1ef96bd12cbda6
RESEARCH PRODUCT
An interpretive framework for assessing and monitoring the sustainability of school gardens
Vincenzo GirgentiCristiana PeanoDaniela FioritoNadia TeccoFrancesco Sottilesubject
EngineeringMonitoringProcess (engineering)Social sustainabilitylcsh:TJ807-830Geography Planning and Developmentlcsh:Renewable energy sources010501 environmental sciencesManagement Monitoring Policy and Law01 natural sciencesSustainability organizationsRenewable EnergyEnvironmental planninglcsh:Environmental sciences0105 earth and related environmental sciencesPlanning and Developmentlcsh:GE1-350SAEMETH-GGeographySustainability and the EnvironmentPolicy and Lawbusiness.industryRenewable Energy Sustainability and the EnvironmentDietary intakeschool garden; sustainability assessment; indicators; SAEMETH-GIndicators; SAEMETH-G; School garden; Sustainability assessment; Geography Planning and Development; Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment; Management Monitoring Policy and Lawlcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plantsSustainability assessment05 social sciencesEnvironmental resource management050301 educationCitizen journalismindicatorsManagementSettore AGR/03 - Arboricoltura Generale E Coltivazioni Arboreelcsh:TD194-195IndicatorAgricultureMonitoring dataSustainabilitySchool gardenbusiness0503 educationdescription
School gardens are, increasingly, an integral part of projects aiming to promote nutritional education and environmental sustainability in many countries throughout the world. In the late 1950s, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) had already developed projects to improve the dietary intake and behavior through school and community gardens. However, notwithstanding decades of experience, real proof of how these programs contribute to improving sustainability has not been well-documented, and reported findings have mostly been anecdotal. Therefore, it is important to begin a process of collecting and monitoring data to quantify the results and possibly improve their efficiency. This study’s primary goal is to propose an interpretive structure—the “Sustainable Agri-Food Evaluation Methodology-Garden” (SAEMETH-G), that is able to quantifiably guide the sustainability evaluation of various school garden organizational forms. As a case study, the methodology was applied to 15 school gardens located in three regions of Kenya, Africa. This application of SAEMETH-G as an assessment tool based on user-friendly indicators demonstrates that it is possible to carry out sustainability evaluations of school gardens through a participatory and interdisciplinary approach. Thus, the hypothesis that the original SAEMETH operative framework could be tested in gardens has also been confirmed. SAEMETH-G is a promising tool that has the potential to help us understand school gardens’ sustainability better and to use that knowledge in their further development all over the world.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-15 |