24 Carrot Garden program at Clarendon Vale Primary School a success

A program taking students out of the classroom is ‘planting more than just seeds’. And that success is shining according to a new study.

Macie Read 12 in grade 6 and Madi Suckling 12 in grade 6. 24 Carrot kitchen garden at Clarendon Vale Primary School has seen positive impact not only on children's educational attainment but on wellbeing, school attendance, belonging, engagement and more according to a UTAS research report. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Fresh air, mud under their nails and time in the kitchen are a given for Eastern Shore students taking part in a kitchen garden program that is a proven success.

The Expanded 24 Carrot Gardens Program teaches students, parents and carers the full cycle of growing, harvesting, food preparation and cooking.

A freshly published University of Tasmania study has found the program, that expanded to all Clarendon Vale Primary School students in 2021, provided inclusion, engagement and learning for those involved.

It also proved to have a positive affect on developing practical food growing and cooking skills while increasing awareness of healthy eating choices.

A Clarendon Vale Primary School student said: “you are welcome in the kitchen and garden no matter who you are in the school.”

Grade 6 students Macie Read and Madi Suckling. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The school’s project officer Serena King said it had been an “incredible privilege” to run the kitchen garden program, praising the support it had received.

The program dug deeper than surface level vital life skills of growing, cooking and sharing food, she said.

“It provides an alternative classroom, a place where students grow in confidence, self-regulation and social connection,” Ms King said.

“At our school, we are planting more than just seeds, we are planting a sense of belonging and opportunity.”

The research was conducted over a four-year period, and evaluation lead researcher and educator at UTAS Abbey MacDonald hoped policymakers could replicate the program to support student wellbeing and equity.

“The case for kitchen garden programs has never been stronger,” she said.

“It is time to see them as a foundational part of what genuinely inclusive education experiences can and should look like.”

Clarendon Vale Primary School is one of 24 across the state partnering with the 24 Carrot Gardens program.

Recommendations from the study into its effectiveness are for sustained investment, supporting cross-government and school-community partnerships and professional development.

24 Carrot Gardens operations manager Reuben Parker-Greer said the research highlighted the important of sustained investment in the roles that make the program possible with lead teachers and kitchen/garden specialists being essential.

Originally published as 24 Carrot Garden program at Clarendon Vale Primary School a success