SCHOOL GARDENS AND FOOD INSECURITY IN PIMA COUNTY: The role school garden programs play in addressing food insecurity and the potential at Acacia Elementary School

Abstract

Pima County, Arizona has a high rate of overall and childhood food insecurity (15.8% and 26.1% respectively). At the same time attitudes and interests in School Garden Programs have led to an increase in programs throughout the county. This research considers the following question: What role do school gardens play in alleviating food insecurity in Pima County? How can a School Garden Program be designed to best attend to food access, and how can it be applied specifically at Acacia Elementary School? Three school garden programs at three different schools were examined based on academic standing of the school, food security status of students and families, and garden programs related to food access. Observations of school garden programs and discussions with school faculty and teachers showed that there were two potential effects of the programs: Direct or Indirect Effects. Direct effects include produce that is directly donated or sold (affordably) to students and families. Indirect effects of school gardens provide skills, resources, confidence to practice gardening, cooking, or raising chickens at home. Indirect effects proved to be more significant than direct effects. Themes of school garden programs that address food access in this way included (1) Community Partnerships, (2) Extra-Curricular Garden Programs, (3) Cooking Education and Cultural Celebration, and (4) School and District Commitment. The potential of school gardens to alleviate food insecurity was directly applied to the new implementation of a school garden at Acacia Elementary School, a Title 1 school located in a rural food desert. The “ripple effect” food access garden programs cause can create a powerful force in communities living in urban or rural food desert and living with extreme food insecurity.