An Interpretive Framework for Assessing and Monitoring the Sustainability of School Gardens

Sottile, Francesco; Daniela, Fiorito; Tecco, Nadia; Girgenti, Vincenzo; Peano, Cristiana

doi:10.3390/su8080801

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Support for the programme's aims from diverse stakeholders beyond the immediate school conext suggest broad recognition of the benefits of food growing in schools and its contribution to other policy goals such as child health. Whilst others have sought to measure sustainability outcomes of in-school activity [18], our focus is understanding how higher-level support can enable actors in schools to contribute to food system change. For those seeking to establish similar programmes our findings suggest the importance of making support easy to access for over-burdened school staff.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is evidence of positive impacts on pupil nutrition, including increased preference for and consumption of fruit and vegetables, and suggestions of wider wellbeing benefits [16]. Sustainability outcomes of school gardening are difficult to demonstrate and have rarely been systematically measured [18]. Practitioners promote multiple benefits for individuals and communities which overlap with cities' food sustainability ambitions, as highlighted from the case study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Every City a Food Growing City? What Food Growing Schools London Reveals about City Strategies for Food System Sustainability

2018

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Cities have emerged as leaders in food system innovation and transformation, but their potential can be limited by the absence of supportive governance arrangements. This study examined the value of Food Growing Schools London (FGSL) as a programme seeking city-wide change through focusing on one dimension of the food system. Mixed methods case study research sought to identify high-level success factors and challenges. Findings demonstrate FGSL’s success in promoting food growing by connecting and amplifying formerly isolated activities. Schools valued the programme’s expertise and networking opportunities, whilst strategic engagement facilitated new partnerships linking food growing to other policy priorities. Challenges included food growing’s marginality amongst priorities that direct school and borough activity. Progress depended on support from individual local actors so varied across the city. London-wide progress was limited by the absence of policy levers at the city level. Experience from FGSL highlights how city food strategies remain constrained by national policy contexts, but suggests they may gain traction through focusing on well-delineated, straightforward activities that hold public appeal. Sustainability outcomes might then be extended through a staged approach using this as a platform from which to address other food issues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Every City a Food Growing City? What Food Growing Schools London Reveals about City Strategies for Food System Sustainability

2018

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“…In particular, the SAEMETH-G method [36] was used as a reference in our study. This method was developed by taking into consideration the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic sustainability.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways for the Amplification of Agroecology in African Sustainable Urban Agriculture

et al. 2020

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A growing awareness that highly intensified agricultural systems have made a substantial worldwide contribution to the worsening of the resilience capacity of natural ecosystems has, over the last twenty years, brought general attention to agroecological management models. This aspect is even more evident in industrial agriculture, which is based on the use of multiple chemical products derived from non-natural synthesis. In more developed countries, a new idea of ecology linked to agricultural production has been increasingly developed and, for this reason, there has been a greater diffusion of differentiated agricultural models taking into consideration the environmental impact of production choices and policies addressed to the conservation of natural resources. In urban agricultural production, it is even more important to adopt resilient production models that, in addition to developing responsible production paths and allowing a positive connection with the needs of consumers, guarantees reasonable and positive behaviors respecting the environment in which most of the urban population lives; in other words, the implementation of goal 12 of the sustainable development goals (SDG #12 Responsible Production and Consumption) of the United Nations. In this work, we report some case studies inspired by the activities carried out by the Slow Food Association in Africa and demonstrate the importance of agroecological models in small-scale agricultural systems, related to the development of school and community gardens in small urban areas of different African countries, as a tool for integrating agricultural activities aimed at social resilience and the conservation of ecosystems.

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“…The other crops examined in the papers reviewed included legumes, lettuce, scallions, red radish, banana, soybean, grapes, cranberry, potato, and coffee. Additionally, different agronomic practices are examined as for example organic farms [28], greenhouse cultivations [29], and school gardens [30]. This section presents the systematic review results against the in-depth review criteria initializing the presentation with the scope criteria category (Tables A2 and A3 of Appendix A).…”

Section: Initial Screeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Sustainability: A Review of Concepts and Methods

2019

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This paper presents a methodological framework for the systematic literature review of agricultural sustainability studies. The framework synthesizes all the available literature review criteria and introduces a two-level analysis facilitating systematization, data mining, and methodology analysis. The framework was implemented for the systematic literature review of 38 crop agricultural sustainability assessment studies at farm-level for the last decade. The investigation of the methodologies used is of particular importance since there are no standards or norms for the sustainability assessment of farming practices. The chronological analysis revealed that the scientific community’s interest in agricultural sustainability is increasing in the last three years. The most used methods include indicator-based tools, frameworks, and indexes, followed by multicriteria methods. In the reviewed studies, stakeholder participation is proved crucial in the determination of the level of sustainability. It should also be mentioned that combinational use of methodologies is often observed, thus a clear distinction of methodologies is not always possible.

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An Interpretive Framework for Assessing and Monitoring the Sustainability of School Gardens

Cited by 12 publications

References 24 publications

Every City a Food Growing City? What Food Growing Schools London Reveals about City Strategies for Food System Sustainability

Every City a Food Growing City? What Food Growing Schools London Reveals about City Strategies for Food System Sustainability

Pathways for the Amplification of Agroecology in African Sustainable Urban Agriculture

Agricultural Sustainability: A Review of Concepts and Methods

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