New Jersey Agricultural Society
609-462-9691
  • News
  • About Us
    • Board of Trustees
    • Mission & Objectives
    • Meet the Team
    • Join the Team
  • Programs
    • Farmers Against Hunger >
      • Volunteer Calendar
      • Become A Volunteer >
        • Volunteer Groups
        • Gleaning FAQ
      • Farmers Against Hunger Tees!
      • Farm Partners & Donors
      • Produce Recipients
      • Culinary & Nutrition Education
      • FAH Archives
    • Agricultural Education >
      • Farmvoice Studios
      • NJ Ag in the Classroom
      • Teacher Tool Box >
        • What's Growing On?
        • LTG Lesson Collections
        • Recipes
        • Video: Food Doesn't Grow in the Supermarket
        • From The Garden State to Your Plate
        • Songs and Poetry for Preschool & Kindergarten
    • Leadership Development Program >
      • Program Information
      • Class 13 Application Available Now!
      • NJALDP Blog
  • Events
    • 2025 Gala >
      • Gala Online Registration
    • Ag Night at the Ballpark
    • NJALDP Graduation Tickets
    • Fall Farm-to-Table Dinner
  • Awards
    • Award Nomination Forms
    • Gold Medallion Award
    • President's Award
    • Century Farm Award
    • Phillip Alampi Industry Marketing Award
    • Tony Russo Farmers Marketing Award
    • Neil Robson Farmers Against Hunger Award
    • Teacher of the Year
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Membership
    • Donate Now
    • Newsletter
    • Support Our Friends
    • Host an Event

 Why are School Gardens important?
​ Here's what the research says!

Improve Academic Achievement

  • Students engaged in hands-on garden lessons showed increased positive attitudes toward content material and learning in general.   (Bell 2001, Waliczek 2003)
  • Participants in a school garden program experienced significant gains in overall GPA in Math and Science.       (Murphy 2003)  
  • Students tend to learn more and better when they are actively involved in the learning process.   (McCormick et al 1989)
  • Children with learning disabilities, who participate in gardening activities, had enhanced nonverbal communication skills, developed awareness of the advantages of order, learned how to participate in a cooperative effort, and formed relationships with adults.                          (Sarver 1985)
  • There is now a substantial body of research evidence that supports the idea that children’s behavior disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are improved when children are involved in activities outdoors.   (Cutting & Kelly, 2015)

Develop Community and Social Awareness

  • Studies show that school gardening increases self-esteem, helps students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, help foster relationships with family members and increases parental involvement.     (J. Alexander & D. Hendren 1998)
  • ​Gardening programming positively influenced two constructs: “working with groups” and “self-understanding.”      (Robinson & Zajicek 2005)​
  • Linking storytelling with garden programs may serve to educate children about the processes that underlie and interweave diverse cultures’ seasonal traditions. (Bowles 1995)
  • Gardening can be an ideal vehicle for introducing elements of multicultural education.  (Eames-Sheavly 1994)
​
Picture

Encourage Environmental and Agricultural Literacy

  • Students at schools that incorporate hands-on gardening into the curriculum demonstrate more concern for and willingness to care for living things.   ​(Eames-Sheavly 1994; Murphy 2003)​​
  • Elementary school and junior high school students gained more positive attitudes about environmental issues after participating in a school garden program.               (Waliczek & Zajicek 1999)
Picture

Establish Healthy Habits

  • Consumption of fruits and vegetables, as a habit in childhood, is an important predictor of higher fruit and vegetable consumption as adults and can help to prevent or delay chronic disease conditions.      (Heimendinger & Van Duyn 1995)
  • After gardening, children have shown more positive attitudes toward fruit and vegetable snacks.   (Lineberger 1999)
  • ​Proper adolescent nutrition can reduce the risk of overweight, obesity, and other diet-related diseases later in life.  Therefore, it is essential for the health and well-being of children that we find a way to encourage their consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables.                 (McAlees and Rankin 2007)​
  • Students who received garden-based nutrition education were more willing to try vegetables than students who received nutrition education without gardening activities.   (Morris 2002)​​
Picture
Picture
Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. NJAS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, EIN 21-0634544.
New Jersey Agricultural Society  •  (609) 462-9691  •  [email protected]
1200 Florence Columbus Road, Bordentown, NJ 08505