Growing food at home or at a school is a great way to learn more about food and how it grows (there is a lot of science and math in plants). In Hawai‘i, we have a Master Gardeners Program in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) to assist with garden development and tending. For schools, there are a number of organizations who are assisting:
- Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools Garden Program (Grow Hawai‘i)
- Hoa ‘Āina O Mākaha
- Ka‘ala Farm, Inc. (Wai‘anae, O‘ahu)
- Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network
- Kōkua Foundation’s AINA in the Schools program (O‘ahu School Garden Network)
- Mālama Kaua‘i’s School Garden Network
- Maui/Moloka‘i/Lana‘i School Garden Network
- MA‘O Organic Farms (Wai‘anae, O‘ahu)
CTAHR’s Farm Food Safety program has been working with the leaders of many of these organizations to come up with a garden safety publication to help reduce the risk of injury and illness in school gardens. Here are some resources to help keep Hawai‘i school children safe in the garden and wherever they may eat:
- 2009 Pew Charitable Trust’s national report on children being disproportionately affected by food-borne illnesses.
- University of California at Davis’: food safety in your home vegetable garden
- University of Connecticut’s: five steps to safe fruit and vegetable home gardening
- University of Florida’s school garden website
- University of New Hampshire’s: garden to table; five steps to food safe fruit and vegetable home gardening
- University of Maryland’s: food safety in the school garden