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Urban Agricultural Experiences: Focusing on Twenty-First Century Learning Skills and Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

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Research Approaches in Urban Agriculture and Community Contexts

Part of the book series: Urban Agriculture ((URBA))

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Abstract

School gardens are considered non-formal learning settings and a source of experiential learning and have been used to teach core academic subjects such as science, history, art, language, and mathematics in a hands-on, experiential learning environment. More recently, some schools have promoted school gardens as outreach programs intended to help underprivileged citizens. The author reports on a study which explored how school gardens involved in urban garden initiatives addressed the issue of social justice. Findings indicate that the urban garden initiative started with a school garden and moved outward into the community. Students were empowered, as well as the school’s extended community through good nutrition, the experience of successfully growing food, and the relationships formed in the process. In addition to fostering environmental stewardship and community building, the school garden program addressed the issue of hunger and poverty within and beyond the school walls and into the wider community. Environmental stewardship, food security, youth empowerment, and proper nutrition are some outcomes of this urban agriculture initiative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada

    Isha DeCoito

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  1. Isha DeCoito
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Correspondence to Isha DeCoito .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture, ASEC Department, Purdue University System, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Levon T. Esters

  2. Public Health Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Amie Patchen

  3. Faculty of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada

    Isha DeCoito

  4. College of Agriculture, ASEC Department, Purdue University System, Lafayette, IN, USA

    Neil Knobloch

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DeCoito, I. (2021). Urban Agricultural Experiences: Focusing on Twenty-First Century Learning Skills and Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. In: Esters, L.T., Patchen, A., DeCoito, I., Knobloch, N. (eds) Research Approaches in Urban Agriculture and Community Contexts. Urban Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70030-0_6

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