Humlebæk: From Vegetable Patch to Down the Hatch
    




    







    
    
    
    














  
  
  
        
    
Published on Sustainable Cities (http://sustainablecities.dk)

    

    

    

    
    

    
25-01-2010

    			

								
Humlebæk: From Vegetable Patch to Down the Hatch

				
In an area of outstanding natural beauty in Humlebæk in northeast Zealand, Denmark, a popular school project focuses on developing children’s knowledge of farming, making food and healthy eating habits. With a view of the Sound, school children make their own gardens and grow their own crops. Other children come on one-day visits to see and understand how food gets from the soil to their dining table. The project has proven extremely popular, receiving 15,000 school children a year to grow their own gardens, experience nature and cook together.

				

			


    
Aarstidernes farm in Humlebæk, Krogerup Home Farm, is the setting for experiences and instruction, offering school classes the opportunity to participate in the project 'Haver til Maver' (literally, from gardens to stomachs). Pupils are invited to cultivate their own gardens and cook food in an outdoor kitchen, or to pay a one-day visit to get an insight into the countryside and cookery. The purpose of the project is for children to understand where produce comes from and to involve them in the process of making the food they eat. The project is based on Aaarstiderne's experiences with tuition and eating habits.
The school gardens which constitute the core of the project are located close to the main building at Krogerup Home Farm with a view over the Sound, woodland and fields. Each class has its own garden, which it lays out under the guidance of experienced gardeners. The gardeners, all of whom are nature guides, follow the children's progress in the gardens and teach them how to grow things. The nature guides' activities are all based on Haver til Maver’s teaching materials or Krogerup’s nature strategy. In the school children's absence, the gardeners help weeding the garden in order to secure the long-term sustainability of the project. A 24/7 web cam permits the children to keep an eye on how their plants are coming along and see what the weather is like at the farm.
School children in the garden in late summer, courtesy of Haver til Maver, Thomas Nielsen
Aarstiderne (the Seasons) has been growing organic vegetables and delivering them to private consumers' doorsteps since 1999. In parallel with its production and sale of vegetables, the company has been involved in helping children to learn about food. The ongoing project Haver til Maver constitutes Aarstiderne’s schools service, focusing on the food children eat and the countryside that surrounds them.
The idea is that the vegetables grown by the children in their allotments are used to make food in the farm’s outdoor kitchen. There are cookery activities for regular visitors to gardens. The project has developed its own teaching material and the school children prepare food from the series of easy recipes. They cook their food over a bonfire with the help of a trained chef and then serve and taste their own food.
Haver til Maver has been a tremendous success since the outset. In 2009, 52 classes of children were attached to the project, visiting Krogerup 8 times between April and October, and some 3,000 children have paid one-day visits. In all, about 15,000 school students have attended tuition at the farm. Many parents and siblings also pay a visit and get involved in the maintenance of the gardens. The success of the project has been endorsed by an interim assessment report, which emphasises the importance of the children's commitment. The assessment report reveals, among other things, that the children thoroughly enjoy spending time in their gardens and find the experience extremely instructive. According to both parents and teachers, the project puts the children in a better state of mind.

    
Key Learning Points
The project 'Haver til Maver' is based on the understanding that nature is no longer a constant element of many children's everyday lives and that the produce and food we eat is being prepared ever more quickly. By means of practical work, the project aims to bring nature closer to the everyday lives of children and to help them relate to the produce they need.
Pre-requisite to the success of the project is the commitment of the children themselves. This is secured by means of the attractive, unconventional surroundings, away from the classroom, and by practical work as the basis for learning. Interactive media such as the 24/7 web cam helps them keep tabs on how their vegetables are growing.
The project is secured broad anchoring because children find it attractive and fun to be a part of. Parents and siblings are encouraged to lend a helping hand in the gardens during the summer holidays, and numerous events are held for family and friends during the year. In a sense, the project reaches out to many more people than the original target group.
 
Process
1999
The organic vegetable producer Aarstiderne is established

2006
The association Haver til Maver is founded by Aarstiderne as a non-profit organisation. The project receives DKK 1 million from Egmont to fund two years of operation.
2006-2007
The first classes of schoolchildren are assigned allotments and start cultivating their gardens. Eight schools with a total of 60 school gardens register for the project. A garden, outdoor kitchen and school room are set up. A total of 23,430 for children and young people visit the gardens in the period 1 March 2006 to 12 November 2007.
2008-2009
25,769 children visit the 82 school gardens.
2010
The project is expected to continue and the plan is to develop the Haver til Maver project in other parts of Denmark.
 
City Facts
Country: Denmark
Town: Humlebæk
Population: 8,962 (2009)
GDP per capita: USD 37,100 (2008, estimated)
Source: Wikipedia Humlebæk, CIA The World Factbook Denmark
Project Facts
The association Haver til Maver is responsible for the project's implementation and the activities at Krogerup Home Farm. The association was formed with the support of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Friluftsrådet (literally translated, the ”outdoor council”) and the municipality of Fredensborg, with the addition of the Danish Forest and Nature Agency. The association is financially dependent on the rest of Aarstiderne’s activities.

The association has received funding from the Veterinary and Food Administration to produce a new Haver til Maver book. Friluftsrådet has provided financial support for the outdoor kitchen, equipment, etc. and a DKK 220,000 wage subsidy. Fredensborg Municipality has funded teaching and gardens for classes of schoolchildren to the tune of DKK 400,000 a year (all 11 schools in the municipality have gardens and lessons at the farm).
The project is Denmark's largest school garden project and is expected to continue indefinitely. 
Facts for Thought
Children and young people in Denmark generally spend less time on their meals than adults. Breakfast is usually the meal most rapidly consumed. A busy day at school means that children of school age spend less time eating both breakfast and lunch than infants.
The most popular foods served by existing school meals schemes at Danish schools are sandwiches, pieces of pizza, sausage rolls, French toast, bread without toppings, processed cheese portions, sweet dairy products, cakes and müesli bars. These foods all have a high content of sugar and fat.
Ideally, children of school age should be offered a varied diet which fulfils their energy requirements and provides the necessary nutrients for them to grow and develop. 
Related Facts
 Video on Haver til Maver at Facebook
References
'Haver til Mavers' egen hjemmeside 
Boganmeldelse af 'Haver til Maver' i 'Folkeskolen'
Publikationen 'Sunde skolemåltider - et ledelsesansvar' fra Fødevarestyrelsen
Partners
Fødevaredirektoratet
Friluftsrådet 
Fredensborg Kommune
Skov – og Naturstyrelsen
Aarstiderne

    

    

    

    
Source URL: http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/humlebaek-from-vegetable-patch-to-down-the-hatch

    
Links:
[1] http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humlebæk

[2] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/da.html

[3] http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1167417660151

[4] http://www.havertilmaver.dk/

[5] http://www.folkeskolen.dk/ObjectShow.aspx?ObjectId=50010

[6] http://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/fdir/Pub/2009206/rapport.pdf

[7] http://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/forside.htm

[8] http://www.friluftsraadet.dk/1

[9] http://www.fredensborg.dk/

[10] http://www.skovognatur.dk/

[11] http://www.aarstiderne.com/