Abstract:
Our food system is giving rise to a growing social, health and environmental crisis. Much of the food consumed in the United Kingdom is cheap, nutrient-poor and highly processed, leading to under-consumption of essential foods such as grains, beans, vegetables and fruit. This has contributed to a rise in diet-related diseases, with approximately 22% of primary school leavers being overweight or obese. Food production is unsustainable with agriculture responsible for 10% of the UK\'s greenhouse gas emissions and intensive farming practices have led to a significant loss of soil carbon and a decline in biodiversity. COVID-19 increased inequalities in our food system. Therefore, there is an urgent need for interventions to counteract these adverse social, health and environmental impacts. Education can play a crucial role as an intervention to address challenges in the food system. We tested an innovative school initiative using portable aquaponic pods and aligned to the national curriculum, to engage pupils in food production and foster learning about sustainability, climate change and healthy eating. The evaluation, based on teacher surveys, aquapod chart data, student blogs and postcards and feedback from the development team, revealed positive impacts on students\' environmental awareness, as well as sustainability and practical food production knowledge. However, the programme encountered logistical challenges and we therefore highlight future improvements to produce a curriculum programme that can be delivered at scale to enhance food education and empower pupils to drive the agenda on tackling food sustainability and climate change.
摘要:
我们的食物系统正在产生一个日益增长的社会,健康和环境危机。英国消费的大部分食物都很便宜,营养贫乏和高度加工,导致谷物等基本食物的消费不足,豆子,蔬菜和水果。这导致了饮食相关疾病的增加,大约22%的小学毕业生超重或肥胖。粮食生产是不可持续的,农业占英国温室气体排放的10%,集约化的耕作方式导致了土壤碳的大量流失和生物多样性的下降。COVID-19增加了我们粮食系统中的不平等。因此,迫切需要干预措施来抵消这些不利的社会,健康和环境影响。教育可以作为应对粮食系统挑战的干预措施发挥关键作用。我们测试了一项创新的学校计划,使用便携式水培豆荚,并与国家课程保持一致,让学生参与食品生产并促进对可持续性的学习,气候变化和健康饮食。评价,根据教师调查,aquapod图表数据,学生博客和明信片以及开发团队的反馈,揭示了对学生环境意识的积极影响,以及可持续性和实用食品生产知识。然而,该计划遇到了后勤方面的挑战,因此我们强调未来的改进,以制定可以大规模实施的课程计划,以加强食品教育,并使学生能够推动解决食品可持续性和气候变化的议程。