Scaling out agroecology from the school garden

Abstract

A priority for agroecology is to identify and strengthen strategies for its scaling up and out.
A fundamental challenge in these processes is to communicate and teach the complexity of
agroecological management. Our action research group in Chiapas, Mexico has identified the
school garden (SG) as a strategy with potential to mobilize and educate diverse sectors around
agroecology. Since 2009, we have dedicated ourselves to promoting SGs as learning spaces,
principally through training and support networks for educators. Along the way, we have confirmed
the tremendous mobilizing potential of SGs, as well as their efficacy for building bridges
between academic and local knowledge, improving education in science and other fields, and
promoting conscientious eating. At the same time, we have identified a set of structural, organizational,
and pedagogical challenges to implementation and continuity of SG programs.