Marketplace Case Study

Project Date

2019

Location

Flag_of_Ireland

The Global Goals

Explaining Horticulture, Promoting Local, Having Fun With Fruit – The Incredible Edibles Project

It is widely recognised that our tastes and consumption behaviour as adults can largely be traced back to our childhood and that the task of addressing obesity and poor diet needs to begin at an early age. Total Produce is proud to support a number of initiatives across the world dedicated to educating, encouraging and inspiring young people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. One such initiative is Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme in operation in primary schools across Ireland. 

Objectives 

Incredible Edibles seeks to promote fresh produce to children in a fun, engaging and practical way. The programme is designed to: 

1) Provide children with a better understanding of what goes into growing fruits and vegetables and the importance of local produce by giving them practical experience of growing fresh produce at school. 

2) Teaching children the importance of eating seven or more portions of fruits and vegetables every day. 

Incredible Edibles At Work 

In 2019, over 1,323 schools and 48,000 students in Ireland participated in the Incredible Edibles programme. A voluntary programme, after signing up each school receives Growing Starter Kits for participating classes. These include: Compost, Recyclable Planting Pots, Seed Packs for Spinach, Turnip, Chives, Carrots and Lettuce, Seed Potatoes, Strawberry Plants, Bottle-top Waterers, Instructions and Logbooks. 

The five tasks which classes must complete in the Incredible Edibles logbook are as follows: 

1) Learn about food origin by tracing their food from fork to farm. 

2) Include a photograph of the class planting and growing the seven Incredible Edibles fruit and vegetables. This task also focuses on topics such a sustainability, soils and composting. 

3) Include a photograph or story of students preparing/cooking and eating potatoes, fruit and vegetables at home. This task also encourages students to think about things such as seasonality, and why we can or cannot access certain fruit and vegetables due to different climates. 

4) Healthy Eating Week: Record potato, fruit and vegetable consumption during Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles Healthy Eating Week. This task encourages the 7-a-day recommended daily consumption of fruit and vegetables! 

5) Using the instructions and availing of online support, teachers guide students through the process of growing each of the fruits and vegetables, recording successes and failures in their logbooks. On completion, logbooks are submitted and prizes are awarded including school trips, school greenhouses and grow light table top gardens. 

The Incredible Edibles Family Challenge: An Innovative Response To Adversity in 2020 

In 2020, with the closure of schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Incredible Edibles programme was repurposed mid-campaign to facilitate home-schooling. The “Incredible Edibles Family Challenge” was born, moving the initiative online and inviting and supporting parents in teaching their children how to grow their own fruits and vegetables. 

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