Addressing food literacy through an integrated ‘whole school’
approach
- a local and global perspective
LOMA-local food casestudy and Kenya context
Dorte Ruge, Ph.d., Lecturer, University College Lillebaelt Niels Larsen, Ph.d., Head of Kijani Institute
This presentation….
1. Current Challenges
2. School as setting – integrated approaches
3. LOMA-local food project and research
4. LOMA in a global perspective
5. Kenya context
6. Co-learning pilot - Kenya and DK schools
7. Questions for workshop
1. Current challenges : Public health
• Increase of childhood obesity
• Increase in obesity related illnesses
• Dietary patterns are founded in early childhood
• Eating behaviour track into adulthood
(Whitaker et al.1997; WHO 1998; Nicklas 1998; Procter 2007;
WHO 2008; Neumark-Sztainer et al. 2011)
DORU@ucl.dk
Food-literacy is in demand – in this study understood as:
Food and health-related action competence (F&HRAC) (Ruge 2015).
The nutrition transition is socially patterned (Popkin 1993; Hawkes 2007) Therefore: Schools and schoolfood systems are considered well-suited settings for HP interventions
(WHO 1986; Jensen 2000; Radcliffe 2005; Morgan and Sonnino 2008;
Green and Tones 2010)
T o be effective:
Holistic and whole school approach should be applied
Integrated with the general educational activities: the learning agenda
(Morgan And Sonnino 2008; Llargues Esteve 2011; Jones et al. 2012; Ruge and Mikkelsen 2013)
2. Current challenges : Sustainable development
• De-localisation of food chains
• Reduced number of local and regional farms
• Expansion of non-sustainable farming methods
• Pressure on ground-water from pesticides and nutrients
• Climate change
Consequently need of :
• Sustainable farming methods
• Re-localisation of food chains
• Public demand on local products
(Ashe and Sonnino 2013; Wiskerke 2009; Lamine et al. 2012)
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School: Regarded as well-suited setting
For whole school interventions that combine
health promotion initiatives with sustainable public food sourcing practices.
Some municipalities have developed such holistic programmes, including a strategy for local public food procurement –
Some examples:
•
East Ayshire, Scotland (Morgan and Sonnino 2008; Gourlay 2008; Foodlinks Community 2013).•
Food for life, Bristol. Soil Association. (Jones et al. 2012; xxx 2016)•
Malmö, Sweden ‘Green Public Food Procurement’ (Foodlinks Community 2013)•
Municipality of Fällköping (Fällköping 2014).•
The school meal system in Rome (Morgan and Sonnino 2008; Löes an Nölting 2011; Foodlinks Community 2013),•
Drome Vally in France (Lamine et al. 2012).•
The Brazilian ‘PNAE - National School Feeding programme’, (Otzuki 2011;WFP 2014)
•
‘Bogata sin Hambre’ in Columbia (Ashe and Sonnino 2013).DORU@ucl.dk
However: there is a need for an approach that integrates:
•
A health promoting and sustainable initiative with a participatory approach that leads to student development of action competence.
This means: Students should participate in planning, preparing and cooking school food activities – and have influence.
Democratic and ecologically conscious citizenship should be part of their learning activity.(Jensen 1997; Jensen 2000; Jensen and Simovska 2005; Ruge, Kromann Nielsen, Jensen 2016)
Cases of integrated approach in Denmark
OBS: No national school food program in Denmark•
Therefore we see local level school food solutions – for instance the‘Copenhagen food schools’.
(Höyrup and Nielsen 2010)
•
Another example: ‘LOMA-local food’ at Nymarkskolen in the municipality of Svendborg
Secondary school – 620 students (12-15 years). Peripheral, urban-rural area in southern Denmark.
(Ruge 2015)
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LOMA-local food guidelines:
1. School food must be healthy according to NNR and made from scratch combined with the wide positive notion of health.
2. Students participate in planning and cooking together with
professionals as part of curriculum in several subjects. The kitchen is designed in a way that supports this.
3. The production kitchen has professional equipment in order to recruit and retain professional staff.
4. Food is sourced from local producers if possible (preferably organic).
5. LOMA aims to be sustainable in terms of energy, water consumption and as a workplace.
6. LOMA can be established in existing or new buildings.
• Students plan, cook, present, serve, clean up – enjoy!
• 250 meals a day
• Weekly shifts
• Integrated in curriculum in several
subjects
11
• Students and teachers
shared a joint meal each day.
• Either food
from LOMA
kitchen or
packed lunch
from home
Research questions: research in LOMA-local food
How did LOMA school foodscape influence
1. Students’ development of : Food- and health related action competence (F&HRAC)
2. Healthier eating habits and quality of life
4. How did LOMA school foodscape influence development of sustainable, local, public food sourcing practices (SPFS)
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An interdisciplinary theoretical framework:
Democratic health education (WHO 1986)
Health Promoting Schools framework – action competence (Jensen and Simovska 2009)
Sense of coherence and quality of life (Antonovsky 1987)
Communities of practice (Wenger 2000)
Ecological Public Health (Lang and Rayner 2012)
Foodscape studies (Dolphijn 2004; Mikkelsen et. al 2011)
Fig. 1 Illustration of a LOMA school food scape
Physical
Organisational
Socio-cultural
Whole school and integrated
approach + A local perspective
15
Food
Research in LOMA project:
A case study design.
Action research approach involved teachers, students and administrative staff.
Data collection via mixed methods
17
1 2 3
Students’ health related action
competences Students’ healthier eating
habits at school ‘Quality of life’ and
‘sense of coherence’ at school
Knowledge about vegetables and insight in production of healthy food.
App. 30% more students (app.80% in total) eat lunch after the implementation of LOMA.
Students and teachers report that LOMA has improved the school
‘ethos’ by adding a
sense of coherence and meaningfulness.
Motivation to consume healthy food.
Practical cooking skills Experience with real life cooperation
Having influence as social skill.
Teachers and students report improved concentration and motivation for learning in afternoon lessons.
Improved relations between students.
Improved relations between students and teachers through food activities.
Critical thinking in terms of e.g.
quality and price and sustainability.
Less shopping of competitive foods in the supermarket.
Results
Results (2) 5 Contributed to local food
production and consumption
Established educational links between school and local producers
• Municipal contracts for public food procurement facilitated
cooperation with local producers.
• LOMA made a public demand on local products and supported
workplaces in local agri- and horticulture.
• Organic share app. 50%.
• Municipal contracts included the establishment of educational links, that facilitated excursions and training modules for students.
• Local producers visit the school as guest teachers in terms of
instructions for preparation and processing of food.
‘LOMA-local food’ (2) – scaling up
2013- : LOMA integrated in daily life at Nymarkskolen in the municipality of Svendborg.
2015-2017: Scaling up to 5 more schools in 4 municipalities. Support by Nordea-fonden.
2015-2016: Pilotprojects 5 schools. Top-meeting april 2016.
June 2016: Dissimination: Participating in Folkemøde, Allinge. Se more at www.lomaskole.dk and #lomaskole, Instagram. Facebook.
October 2016: Studytrip to Food for Life Schools in Bristol.
June 2017: Final top-meeting.
DORU@ucl.dk
20-06-2016
Preliminary results from research in LOMA-local food(2)
0,51 0,51 0,47
0,68 0,28
0,41 0,35
0,40 0,16
0,07
0,57 0,18
0,46 0,40 0,15
0,69 0,41
0,24
0,62 0,53
0,54
0,66 0,29
0,32
0,47 0,56 28%
25%
0,68 37%
0,53
74%
48%
0,75 0,40
0,34
0,00 0,10 0,20 0,30 0,40 0,50 0,60 0,70 0,80
At veje og måle det man skal bruge At tælle det op som man skal bruge At bage brød At læse en opskrift At skrive en opskrift At beregne en opskrift At arbejde sammen på tværs af klasser At fortælle de andre om hvad jeg havde lavet At tage billeder af det vi havde lavet At tegne det vi havde lavet At snakke om mad At præsentere maden At dække bord Hvor maden kommer fra Hvordan der er på en bondegård Hvordan man laver sund mad Hvordan mad og sundhed hænger sammen Jeg har mere forståelse for lokal produktion af fødevarer
Procent pre Procent post
Data from LOMA school intervention study. N= 299 (2015-2016)
LOMA schools in a global perspective
Social learning and co-learning as a mean of
developing students food and health related
action competence
Pre-conditions
LOMA concept of participatory approach to learning
Development of students action competence and food and health related action competence (HRAC)
The integrated school foodscape is the physical, organizational and sociocultural space in which students participate in meals, cooking, food related curriculum and encounter food message – including health and sustainability messages (Ruge 2015)
Local food producers from rural areas and the food – chain relation to school meals is highlighted
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE?
What would happen if LOMA was linked to schools in Kenya?
Will that make a better understanding of the relation between food and health or urban – rural food chain?
What is the educational rationale for a cross – cultural communication between pupils in high income country and low income country?
Will pupils reflection and learning outcome be improved if they meet unfamiliar leads about their own situated lifestyle and life condition?
Will it improve the F&HRAC?
Pre – understanding of the relevance for a cross cultural communication project:
In High income countries like North America and Europe bullying and stress related to better
performance and outcome is the main driver for reforming school system
In Low income countries like Kenya stress, obesity and diabetes in the cities and malnutrition in the rural
areas are driving forces
Jacob Korir, Kenya in a conference on Nutrition and curriculum in schools:
Factors Fueling Malnutrition
1. Inadequate access to food/food insecurity
2. Inadequate care of women and children
3. Insufficient health services and unhealthy environment
Lack of awareness
is a significant
cross cutting issue
State of children coming into schools in Kenya (Kyallo et al 2013)
1 in 5 children in urban primary schools is overweight or obese (1 in 3 in private
schools and 1 in 10 in public schools)
These children are at increased risk of heart diseases, stroke, cancer, diabetes,
hypertension and bone loss, particularly in
adulthood
National Food Security Outlook in Kenya
(Jacob Korir, head of Nutrition Dept.)
Poor rains resulted in below-average crop production and poor recovery of rangeland
Household stocks
depleted resulting in high market dependence at a time when income
earning opportunities have declined.
Creating awareness and means to enhance
production can reverse
the situation
Health, agriculture and education are important for human nutrition and contributes to children’s cognitive and intellectual capacities and a productive workforce in future!
(Jacob Korir, head of Nutrition Department Ministry of Health in Kenya)
Example: Nutrition and education in Kenya
Action Competence
? Life skills ?
Why cross cultural communication ?
Cross-cultural Communications and education build on a conceptualization of learning as a dynamic social process (Vygotsky 1978 & Rogoff 1990)
Social learning theories contend that knowledge and learning are related to interaction between pupils
Understanding and reflections comes out of shared problem- solving and communication
Co-learning refers to a process of different learners share
and acquire knowledge with pupils about a specific and
important problems across different cultures (Law 2011)
Intervention Case: the MEL project
The Move – Eat – Learn (MEL) project connected 3 primary st.7 classes from Denmark with pupils from st.7 in 1 primary school from Nairobi Kenya.
Main contend of the knowledge was about lifestyle and life condition related to diabetes
Main idea: Different children in different culture leads to curiosity and reflection about one’s own situation.
It might lead to action competence if different condition are
implemented
Intervention case Oure - Raila
Oure Sport & Performance: Efterskolen (st.9 – 10) have a partner school in the Kibera Slum
The Eating House (Spisehuset) will together with the school in Kenya establish a Green House and renovation of the school Gardens
Food, nutrition, sustainability and school curriculum and syllabus in Denmark and Kenya will be
integrated in different co-learning activities
(teachers in different subjects and agriculture and
Lifeskils)
Physical
Organisational
Socio-cultural
Whole school and integrated
approach + A local perspective
+ Global connections
35
Food
The global perspective and connections to schools in Kenya with integration of the Kenyan curriculum and local communities
Physical
Organisational
Socio-cultural Whole school
and integrated approach
+ A local perspective
+ Global connections
The global perspective and connections to schools in Kenya with integration of the Kenyan curriculum and local communities. Evt. Partners in other countries.
LOMA co-learning Pilot: 2016-2017
DK og Kenya sec.
students develop actioncompetence and co-learn in LOMA perspective
Online 21st Century Learning skills School
development
Ressources: a.o Poul Kristensen(DK), Olive Wambui (Kenya Ministry of Education
