A gardening project has been launched aimed at primary school children, which recognises the rise in popularity of growing fruit and vegetables that has occurred amongst the younger generation as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown. Incredible Edibles, a healthy eating and growing project for primary school children was launched by Agri Aware recently, which aims to educate the next generation on how to sow, grow and cook Irish fruit and vegetables in their very own school garden. Schools across Ireland can sign up now to receive free grow packs includingcompost, seeds to grow their own school garden, along with curriculum-linked interactive educational resources for the project which will run from January to June 2021. The project aims to cover all aspects of learning where your food comes from and the importance of the food pyramid for a healthy, balanced diet.
Incredible Edibles, which is now in its 13th year, has never been more relevant to today’s school children, many of whom have gained an interest in gardening and the outdoors due to the Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions. As 2021 has been deemed The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021, by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, it is also key that Ireland’s school children recognise the importance of consuming seven plus portions of fruit and vegetables a day from a young age. Despite school closures in March 2020, over 1,000 schools and 25,000 students successfully took part in last year’s project. Teachers showed great commitment to the project by sending their students videos of their school vegetable and herb plants progress, as well as students cooking and eating their 7-a-day from home.
Speaking at the launch, Agri Aware chairperson, Alan Jagoe said: “Incredible Edibles focuses on gardening for mental and physical wellbeing, the importance of reducing food waste and supporting local, Irish food producers, all while being fully linked to the curriculum and not forgetting children have lots of fun exploring the ‘outdoor classroom’!” “We encourage teachers across Ireland to sign up their class to the 2021 project as it empowers students and guides them towards a healthier lifestyle. In these challenging times we live in, it has never been more important for Irish children to understand where their food comes from and learning first-hand how to grow their own food,” said Mr Jagoe.
Register your class today for the Incredible Edibles 2021 programme by visiting www.incredibleedibles.ie. This project runs from January to June, but packs are limited so make sure to sign up early to secure a free growing pack for your school!
