School Gardens

Abstract

Social assistance has proven to be insufficient for low-income families to meet all their basic needs, and covid-19 has further impacted the ability for households to be well fed and healthy. The federal and provincial governments have promised increased funding for agricultural sectors in hopes to increase food security infrastructure. However, large-scale farm operations require an extraordinary use of natural resources, thus questioning the sustainability of industrial agriculture in meeting food security demands at a local level. Thereby exemplifying why alternative policy strategies must be explored due to the problem of affordability amplified by covid-19, as well as the sustainability of agriculture activities in the era of climate awareness. This article argues the potential of a provincial school gardens policy which support cities using urban agriculture within public k-12 school properties to decrease the incurrence of household food insecurity, while also simultaneously adapting to educating youth on their role as stewards to the environment. Furthermore, urban agriculture has the potential to effectively restore farmland lost from urban sprawl by creating gardens that act as a social security net for individuals suffering from food insecurity. Food banks have seen a significant increase in demand for their services in the last decade due to the heightened cost of living. Thus, by having a source of food production that is specifically created as another form of social security, relieves the pressure food banks endure by providing food directly to communities suffering from food insecurities. A variety of programs exist in local cells across canada that can be used as inspiration for the government of ontario to implement a provincial school gardens policy program, however due to the diversity of school layouts, the challenges of implementing gardens at different scales will be discussed.