School farms: Experiential learning & school meals

Since 2020 began, the Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on global health systems and economies. The world continues to battle an unseen enemy; a virus which seems to continually impact every sector of life. This effect obviously did not spare schools and as such, most schools around the world had to close down in order to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus and keep students safe.

This pandemic additionally forced schools to review their models to ensure the safety and protection of the students whilst safeguarding academic continuity. This review included moving teaching and learning activities online.

In the wake of this global crisis, most governments and schools are adopting measures to limit the impact of Covid-19 on the new changes in teaching and learning processes for students.
In Ghana, all schools closed down in March 2020, and till date, on-site academic activities have not resumed, except for final year tertiary, senior high school and junior high school students who have to complete their final examinations.

With the School Farms project which requires students to have hands-on, in-person experiences on the farms, the closure of schools has put the project on hold. Even though people need to eat during the crisis, continuing the project without students’ involvement with refrain from the projects core objectives.

Thus, the team dutifully maintains the farms in anticipation of school resumption but main agricultural processes have been paused until the time full academic work can begin.