Food for thought : increasing nutritional diversity by adapting to droughts in Timor-Leste's permaculture/agroecology garden schools : a research project presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2018
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Massey University
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Abstract
The main aim of the research was to explore community resilience, and specifically whether and
how garden schools that use permaculture/agroecology principles may be usefully contributing to
adaptation to climate change and nutritional diversity in Timor-Leste. The research also aimed to
investigate the challenge of implementing garden schools in Timor-Leste. Specifically, targets of the
Sustainable Development Goals relating to water conservation, resilience and food security were
utilized to measure the progress of garden schools. The above is embedded in a conceptual
agroecology framework that assesses the resilience of food growing systems in relation to climate
change as the schools utilize permaculture/agroecology principles, with permaculture being a form
of agroecology.
Timor-Leste is now faced with extreme climate patterns as a result of climate change that can lead
to more prolonged droughts. This study used a qualitative methodolology, which included
interviews of teachers with school gardens, to help understand how teachers and their students are
adapting to these droughts. The study also examines nutritional diversity in schools and the benefits
and challenges of implementing school gardens. Furthermore, the study explores the transfer of
nutritional and gardening knowledge from schools to the community to increase community
resilience.
The research revealed that garden schools internationally improve students’ scientific understanding
and agricultural knowledge and their taste for locally grown fruit and vegetables. The school
gardens in Timor-Leste have multiple benefits with regard to improving educational outcomes and
community resilience as a school garden transforms a schoolyard into a green laboratory for
students to learn about nutrition, mathematics and linguistics.
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Keywords
School gardens, Permaculture, Study and teaching, Environmental education, Sustainable agriculture, Timor-Leste, Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Education