Planting futures: School-based food forests and their contribution to holistic education for sustainable development

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Julia Gobs

This study explores the integration of school-based food forests (FF) into education systems and their potential to foster holistic education for sustainable development (ESD). Using the Whole School Approach (WSA) as a conceptual framework, the research examines the FF project at Chestnut School in Northern Germany, employing interviews and participatory methods to identify its educational, ecological, and social contributions. As edible, perennial, and biodiverse agroforestry systems, FFs address key sustainability challenges. Thereby, they support holistic school transformation, positioning themselves as a model for innovative, solution-oriented ESD. Beyond ecological and recreational benefits, FFs offer interdisciplinary and hands-on learning environments that bridge formal and informal education. They promote systemic thinking, agency, and self-efficacy, enabling students to connect personal actions with broader sustainability goals. The Chestnut School case underscores the FF’s potential to foster human-nature connections, critical thinking, and sustainable food practices.

Original languageEnglish
JournalGAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
Volume34
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)97-105
Number of pages9
ISSN0940-5550
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the author.

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Decoding the Landscape of Smart City Platforms
  2. Extension of Biodiesel Aging Mechanism–the Role and Influence of Methyl Oleate and the Contribution of Alcohols Through the Use of Solketal
  3. Between Usability and Trustworthiness-The Potential of Information Transfer Using Digital Information Platforms for Refugees
  4. The electoral appeal of symbolic class signalling through cultural consumption
  5. Water-related problématiques
  6. Advancing Sustainability and Productivity
  7. Slowing resource loops in the clothing industry through Circular Business Model Experimentation
  8. The Discourse Community of Electronic Dance Music through the Example of the TB-303 Owners Club
  9. Online-counseling for teachers via internet forum - A comparative study between norwegian and german users
  10. Preferences and predictors for ecologically responsible behavior of vacationers
  11. Understanding cultural variation in cognition one child at a time
  12. Organizational identity and its applications
  13. Metaphors and metonymies and their impact in mathematical classroom discourses
  14. Imagining is Not Observing
  15. Scaffolding im Rahmen von Inquiry-based Learning.
  16. Firm size and job creation in Germany
  17. Konstanz im Wandel?
  18. Was Grundschulkinder über das Textschreiben wissen
  19. Thinking Beyond the Bargaining Table
  20. Start-up activities, individual characteristics, and the regional milieu: Lessons for entrepreneurship support policies from German micro data
  21. Zur Mikrostruktur der Investitionsdynamik in der Industrie
  22. Zur Rolle der Davidsverheißung bei Josephus Flavius
  23. A sticky affair
  24. Informationsversorgung eines erweiterten Umweltcontrollings
  25. How do refugees use their social capital for successful labor market integration?