School Garden Task Force

The State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) supports the development of school and community gardens as part of its chronic disease prevention strategy. School garden projects have demonstrated improvements in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables include a reduced risk for heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers.

In order to facilitate communication between diverse stakeholders, the DOH convened a school garden taskforce meeting on May 31, 2012, at Kapi‘olani Community College. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together public, private, and community agencies to develop and implement a plan to support and expand sustainable school gardens statewide. As a result of the meeting, four working groups were formed: (1) Capacity Building, (2) Policy & Advocacy, (3) Professional Development, and (4) Research & Evaluation.

Visit the School Garden Task Force Web site.

Download the School Garden Task Force Report.