University gardens for sustainable citizenship: assessing the impacts of garden-based learning on environmental and food education at Spanish higher education

Abstract

Purpose Gardens are being used at all educational stages, because they provide with a real-world context for active and experiential learning. In Spain, there exists a movement in favor of their incorporation to higher education for a variety of purposes but prevalently as an innovative resource to teach sciences to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study is assessing the impacts of such pedagogical practice on university students’ learning and behavioral changes in the areas of environmental and food citizenship, two key dimensions of contemporary citizenship that are essential to achieve sustainable societies. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected by means of an electronic, open-ended question survey completed by 170 students from 6 different universities where gardens are used. Answers were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA software to develop a system of content categories and subcategories in relation to reported learning and behavioral changes. Findings Widespread among universities was learning on organic agriculture practices, greater appreciation of agricultural labor, greater willingness to cultivate, higher awareness of environmental impacts of agriculture, improved behaviors regarding waste separation and enhanced fruit and vegetable consumption. Originality/value This work delves into how university gardens act as a vehicle through which students integrate knowledge and reflect on their environmental, food and consumption behaviors. Thus, it supports on evidences, the use of gardens at higher education to nurture two dimensions of contemporary citizenship essential to achieve sustainability.

Innovation for environmental sustainability: longitudinal effects of an education for sustainable development intervention on university students’ pro-environmentalism

“…As such, universities have increasingly engaged in incorporating sustainability issues into their systems through a wide range of practices (Findler et al , 2019). These include interventions aimed at reducing universities’ ecological footprint (Genta et al , 2019), the provision of campus gardens that offer hands-on learning opportunities (Cheang et al , 2017; Duram and Williams, 2015; Eugenio-Gozalbo et al , 2020) and improved environmental management strategies (Disterheft et al , 2012). However, the changes required to create more sustainable universities tend to occur at a slow rate and sustainability practices are often not fully integrated into higher education institutions (Leal Filho et al , 2019).…”

Introducing Food Sustainability in Formal Education: A Teaching-Learning Sequence Contextualized in the Garden for Secondary School Students

“…and real-life activities proved both to be useful [39,47] to promote an authentic science learning experience and, in turn, to prepare students for real-life decisions and life-long learning, which constitute the main objectives of science education [42,56]. It also reinforced how gardens constitute valuable didactic resources for both food and sustainability education [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and provided a case study in the novel path to Education in Sustainably Healthy Food. This paper brings to the table that these types of innovative educational experiences are not only necessary but can successfully contribute to the formation of a sustainable citizenship.…”

“…Regarding food education, garden-based learning programs, particularly when combined with others, such as cooking programs, have been proven to promote knowledge on nutrition, and to improve dietary intake of fruits and vegetables in children and youth [21][22][23][24], thus contributing to address some challenging problems of public health, such as overweight and obesity [25,26]. Besides, the positive impacts of school gardening have also been observed to reach families and communities [27], particularly in low-income settings [28]; in fact, gardens are useful for ensuring food safety by providing access to healthy food [29,30]. Throughout the last years, OLGs have also been proliferating in higher education institutions around the world, where they contribute to campus sustainability and sustainability education [31][32][33].…”

An outlook on the future of Brazilian agriculture: how farming students of Tocantins perceive sustainability in the Cerrado

“…However, to increase the impact of sustainability teaching, teachers' pedagogic methods must combine collaborative activities, such as work groups and learning communities (Leal Filho et al, 2018). This can truly enhance awareness of the negative consequences of environmentally irresponsible behavior and thus help cease biodiversity loss and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (Vicente-Molina et al, 2013;Abbasi et al, 2020;Eugenio-Gozalbo et al, 2021).…”