The ‘Frutti per la Biosfera’ (Fruits for the Biosphere) project in Sicily entered its second phase in mid-February 2019. Children between the ages of six and ten prepared small cultivation beds on the school grounds and planted their own vegetables.

Schoolchildren from Biancavilla (Sicily) sowing radish seeds in their school garden. Photo: Giacche Verdi Bronte

During the first phase of the project, project staff and volunteers informed the children about the association between their eating habits and the climate, introducing them to terms like ‘regional’, ‘seasonal’ and ‘biological’. The pupils got to know ancient Sicilian cereals and how they can easily trace the origin of eggs. Thanks to the practical part of the project, the children should learn to act in a sustainable manner and to actively support climate protection themselves.

The schoolchildren first cleaned the school grounds together with volunteers from different European countries and prepared them for planting. They then sowed various local vegetable seeds and small seedlings of plants like spinach and onions. Various insect houses were introduced at the same time and installed on site to attract pollinators for the flowering plants.