The background of permaculture in schools.

Vision 2030 aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrialized middle-income country, providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by the year 2030. Under its economic and social pillars, Vision 2030 further emphasizes the enhancement of productivity of crops and livestock, incomes, and food security and nutrition.

In order to enhance nutrition education in schools, the Government of Kenya commits in the National food and nutrition security policy 2011 to:

1. Review curricula to enhance nutrition information that can be included in existing classes, activities and learning materials; and
2. Extend the school garden concept to every school, including container gardens in urban schools, with a focus on using the gardens to teach and demonstrate not only safe food production, but also food preservation and preparation.

The guide is also informed by the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya designed to emphasize the significance of developing skills and knowledge and also applying those competencies to real life situations.

The school permaculture Course is designed for schools and communities to address various ecological, social, cultural, and economic issues such as: 

1. Increased environmental degradation and effects of climate change

2. Increased Food and nutrition insecurity

3. Poor Health and sanitation among learners and family members

4. Increased crime and violence in schools and community

5. Decline in good morals and life skills among learners, pupils and teachers

6. Leadership, governance and information sharing gaps

7. Inadequate practical and life skills orientation among learners

8. Erosion of local and indigenous knowledge

9. Erosion of national values

• Increased unemployment levels among the youth

The guide tries to address key areas of concern for school meals provision in Kenya under the National School Meals and Nutrition Strategy 2017 to 2022, namely:

1. Hunger, malnutrition and unfolding negative impacts among school-age children;

2. The need for sufficient and stable financial sources for school meals at all levels;

3. The need for stable school meal governance and management structures; a transition to home-grown school meals models;

4. Adequate capacity-development support for food procurers and smallholder farmers to provide suitable and diverse production for school meals;

5. Participation of governments at all levels as well as communities and parents;

6. The need for adequate infrastructure and environmental safety in schools.