The Golden Carrot and School Garden Week were established by the School Garden Alliance and the Jong Leren Eten food education program. During this week, from 8 to 12 April, the spotlight was placed on the importance of school gardening and on municipalities that support school gardening in an inspiring way.
In some municipalities, school gardens have existed for more than 100 years, and many other municipalities also encourage school gardening. This is done in various ways: by making land, materials or subsidies available, or by providing support through, for example, vegetable garden coaches and nature and sustainability education centers (NDE centers).
For the 2024 Golden Carrot election, municipalities were invited to submit a vlog about the importance of the school garden. "We were immediately impressed by Groningen's video, featuring an enthusiastic school garden teacher and the children themselves. A strong aspect of Groningen's approach is its broad support for school gardening through four school garden complexes, where all the children from the city come for nature lessons, with vegetable gardening as part of the program. The children in grade 6 work in their own gardens every week. This approach relieves the burden on regular education, and the school garden complexes are green paradises in the city. We are therefore delighted to award the 2024 Golden Carrot to Groningen,” said Marjan van Creij, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Jong Leren Eten program, on behalf of the jury.
“We are happy and proud to receive this award, and we see it as encouragement and recognition for the good work we have been doing here for around 70 years. It is important for children to gain experience with nature and learn where their food comes from. Moreover, they have enormous fun gardening. That is why I would like to make an appeal to all aldermen in the Netherlands. Aldermen, do your children a favor; make sure they can garden,” said Carine Bloemhoff, alderwoman of the Municipality of Groningen.
Honorable mention
In addition to the Golden Carrot, the jury also awarded an honorable mention to the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. The vlog from Schouwen-Duiveland was a compelling and comprehensive appeal that clearly showed who is involved and explained well how school gardens connect with the municipality's various policy objectives. In Schouwen-Duiveland, the school garden is combined, among other things, with making the schoolyard greener.
The presentation of the honorable mention for the Golden Carrot to the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland.
A great experience
"Throughout the country, we are seeing the school garden movement grow and flourish. More and more municipalities are realizing that the school garden is a good way for children to come into contact with healthy food, learn about nature and biodiversity, and be physically active," says Arjan Klopstra on behalf of the School Garden Alliance and Jong Leren Eten. "Not as an additional activity, but as part of the school, where meaningful education takes place. When children learn how to sow, care for and harvest their own vegetables, fruit and flowers, their interest in healthy food is stimulated. A home-grown carrot really does taste best."
Golden Carrot jury
The jury for the 2024 Golden Carrot consisted of Marjan van Creij (senior policy officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Jong Leren Eten), Ignas van Schaick (EMS, School Garden Film), Irene Harmsen (independent education consultant), and Arjen van Drunen, alderman of Breda, the municipality that won the Golden Carrot in 2023.
School Garden Week
In 2022, the Golden Carrot was awarded for the first time to the municipalities of Teylingen and Arnhem. In 2023, Breda and The Hague won. In 2024, more than 85,400 pupils took part in School Garden Week and National Outdoor Learning Day, with the Grote Pieperles playing a central role.
Opening photo: In 2024, the Municipality of Groningen proudly won the Golden Carrot.