WHEREAS there is a growing need for food security and local food production, and there is an increasing need for community space to grow food; AND WHEREAS there is no mandated elementary school curriculum for local agriculture, food production and school gardens: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities petition the provincial government for a change to the elementary school curriculum to include local food production, food security and school gardens.
Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education is conducting a curriculum review in the areas of climate change, sustainability and personal health during the 200910 school year. The results of this review will be used to inform any future curricular revisions. Within the existing Health and Career Education curricula, there are Prescribed Learning Outcomes PLOs at all grades focused on healthy eating practices and nutritional choices. These PLOs are worded to enable teachers to address them in ways that meet the specific needs of local school communities, such as addressing the topics of local food production and school gardens. In addition, there are general themes relating to community food production within the elementary Social Studies curricula K7. The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands are also coordinating on a communication to schools regarding information and resources for establishing school food gardens, to be distributed in fall 2009.