International UN Volunteer Michiko Terada, fully funded by the Government of Japan, serves with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve dietary diversity for young students in Nigeria.
In terms of nutrition, school-age children are one of the most vulnerable groups, as they are going through both physical and mental growth. Lack of knowledge on food during critical periods of development can lead not only to undernutrition, but also to obesity and overweight problems — often referred to as 'the double burden of malnutrition'.
To tackle malnutrition, FAO Nigeria launched a project called 'School Gardening for Better Nutrition' which aims to combat malnutrition in children through education about nutrition and gardening.
The project has established school gardens in five high schools in Abuja. The objective is to support capacity building on food and gardening by training 15 female teachers, ten male teachers, school administrators and government representatives.
Photo: FAO/Michiko Terada, 2021
Michiko joined the project as a Community Development Expert and is currently supervising various capacity-building activities. She is also in charge of evaluating the outcomes of the training and reviewing the current curriculum.
"Without a doubt, Michiko has brought her knowledge and competencies in efficient and effective communication with communities, stakeholder engagements, team building and knowledge sharing to this project." -- Dr Abubakar Suleiman, Assistant FAO Representative-Programme
Photo: FAO/Michiko Terada, 2021
Michiko highlights the importance of youth empowerment through interactive activities.
For instance, as teachers in schools are all from different regions across the country, Michiko led them to share stories of local food and cooking methods among them. She explains, "When I also shared information about unique foods from Japan, such as fermented soybeans, participants were so enthusiastic that they even brought plants with them to explain their culinary use in more detail."
"I think that knowing different foods can lead to recognition of one’s own culture and identity, and help students strengthen their cross-cultural understanding. I believe that providing youth with a platform and connecting their talents and abilities is key to youth empowerment." -- UN Volunteer Michiko Terada
Photo: FAO/ Emmanuel Kihaule, 2021
The school gardens have already provided a successful harvest of pumpkins. With the construction of water points, the gardens can now offer all-year-round learning opportunities to children with curiosity and passion for learning more. Some students took seeds home to start their own home gardens.
Through this project, 87.5% of teachers expressed that they are confident in their skills to teach about the link between nutrition and agriculture — this is 1.4 times higher than the result of the pre-training survey. Also, the training is expected to cascade to about 500 students in agriculture, home economics and/or basic science.
Photo: FAO/ Emmanuel Kihaule, 2021
Children and adolescents are powerful communicators who can disseminate positive messages to communities. By introducing positive messages and correct knowledge on health and nutrition to youth, we contribute to lifelong healthy eating practices. It can also encourage young people to bring their seeds home and start their own community gardens.
What Michiko and FAO have developed in Nigeria goes beyond the simple integration of nutrition awareness in the education curriculum. By providing opportunities for youth to learn the importance of food and health, the School Gardening Project is only the beginning of dietary transformation in communities.
Photo: FAO/ Emmanuel Kihaule, 2021
