1. Incorporate Food Gardens: Educational facilities must allocate land to create community gardens in open spaces, rooftops, courtyards, or unused land. Create a garden management plan that the community can take charge of, while teachers provide educational guidance on how to maintain it.
2. Provide Water and Irrigation: Gardens require access to a constant supply of water for irrigation, especially in hot weather. Installing sprinkler or drip systems and providing hydration stations can help promote gardening activities and provides water for personal consumption.
3. Composting Facilities: Educational facilities should include compost facilities for recycling organic waste from the school cafeterias and gardens. The compost can be used to enrich the soil in the garden.
4. Greenhouses: Greenhouses provide optimal growing conditions for plants throughout the year, and it will afford students and community members the chance to extend their gardening activities to winter.
5. Outdoor Classroom: An outdoor classroom can serve as an excellent location to teach the community proper gardening techniques and food education, and it also provides an engaging way for people to learn and practice new skills.
6. Host Community Workshops: The educational facility can host workshops that include seed swaps, gardening techniques, and cooking classes. The goal is to help residents build a relationship with the food system, engage with each other and create a sense of community.
7. Encourage Community Involvement: Encourage the community to become involved in the gardening efforts around the facilities. Allow the community to take ownership of the project and work with the schools to create a sustainable and successful program.
8. Provide Tools and Equipment: The facilities should provide gardening tools and equipment as much as possible to make the program accessible to everyone.
9. Collaboration with Local Farms: Educational facilities should collaborate with local farms to provide fresh produce to the community. This partnership would allow community members to access fresh fruits and vegetables while supporting local agriculture.
10. Support Policy Development: The facilities should work with local officials and community organizations to develop policies that create an enabling environment and support local urban agriculture and food justice initiatives. Policies can include zoning that supports community gardens, funding for gardening projects, and promoting healthy eating in schools.
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