projects
The initiative for the development of school vegetable gardens in education centers in Santo Domingo, arose from the interest sparked among students participating in talks, panels and workshops conducted by Rose Landa, during the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival. Rose Landa is a member of the Global Coalition for Peace, which, by means of its initiative Make Gardens Not War, seeks to motivate the creation of vegetable gardens all around the world.
Goals and Objectives:
- Create sustainable and productive garden systems using organic methods.
- Support, through experimental activities, the natural science curriculum in schools.
- Offer students a space for recreation, relaxation and physical activity.
- Create awareness through practical means, of the importance of a balanced diet.
- Teach students how to recycle organic matter into compost for use as an organic fertilizer for the garden.
- Provide technical workshops to enrich the knowledge base of students and ensure the creation of sustainable gardens.
One of the problems facing students in Santo Domingo, is the lack of locations for the performance of experiments and other practical field activities that serve as corroboration of theoretical concepts taught in the classroom. The school vegetable gardens support, through practical field activities, the areas of natural sciences contained in the educational curriculum.
Another one of the issues that the Dominican population faces is the lack of a balanced diet, a fact which on occasions affects the physical and intellectual development of students. School vegetable gardens are an adequate place to learn about nutrition and to achieve a greater receptiveness to the idea of consuming vegetables. Another of the important topics learned through school vegetable gardens, and which is crucial to the country, is recycling of organic matter through composting.
There will be a selection of schools among those with interest in, and space availability for, vegetable gardens. The educational centers that are interested in the project, will receive incentive and counseling, and will be offered follow-up support in the process of creation and construction of vegetable gardens. The school grades this initiative is directed to are the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grades.
The methodology that will be applied for the development of school vegetable gardens is based on the Square Foot Garden idea proposed by Mel Bartholomew and followed by the non-profit organization Global Coalition for Peace, through its Make Gardens Not War initiative.
