Hunger affects the majority of children in schools in the region. Rates of stunting are in the region of 45 to 48% and we have interviewed children in schools and found as many as 9 out of every 10 children coming to school without having had breakfast. And yet all the schools have under-utilised land and a wonderful climate for growing food. In the surrounding communities the farmers have similar conditions but poor land husbandry methods have led to land degradation and low productivity. 

Over the last twenty years I have played a central role in the development of the integrated land-use design process as a tool for whole school land design and the establishment of school food forests. My work is based on valuing the young people as the custodians of the future and helping them to participate in building resilient communities.

The Re-scope Programme www.seedingschools.org has developed tools for bringing the communities back into the schools enabling parents, teachers and learners to redesign the school grounds in participatory and creative ways to meet their needs."