ABSTRACT
School gardens, nutrition education, and farm to school initiatives are orienting palates and diets towards traditionally available foods, diversifying agriculture and increasing locally produced school snacks and lunches while circulating income throughout local farming communities in the Hawaiian Islands. Self-sufficient for centuries, the colonial legacy of deforestation, plantation agriculture, and the current focus on tourism and military development has left the Hawaiian Islands more than 85% dependent on imported, primarily processed food. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Island populations show very low consumption of fruits and vegetables, which stems from low-income employment, and leads to disproportionately high rates of obesity and related chronic diseases. The majority of Hawai‘i’s youth receive more than half their daily calories from school meals during the academic year. The Hawai‘i School Garden Curriculum Map was created by teachers for busy teachers who may not be gardeners themselves but intuitively understand the benefits of inquiry-based, place-based, project-based learning for their students.
