Children farming with Christoph Schmitz
Farming with Christoph Schmitz, photo: Thorsten Futh
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Science & Education

GemüseAckerdemie - what, who, where, how?

Honestly, how many of you have ever heard of the GemüseAckerdemie? It's a well-known fact that children believe that cows are purple and tomatoes grow on supermarket shelves.

Am Schulacker der MS Schärding: Andrea Freilinger (Acker Österreich), Maria Theresa Luckeneder (Direktorin MS Schärding), Martin Doblinger(Regionaldirektor Sparkasse OÖ), Christoph Musik (GF Acker Österreich), Elisabeth Schunicht (Heimleitung Bezirksalten- und Pflegeheim Schärding), Lothar Musel (Vorstandsmitglied Anteilsverwaltung Allgemeine Sparkasse), Daniela Pöschl (AckerLehrerin), Foto: Werner Kerschbaummayr / Fotokerschi / Sparkasse OÖ
Am Schulacker der MS Schärding: Andrea Freilinger (Acker Österreich), Maria Theresa Luckeneder (Direktorin MS Schärding), Martin Doblinger(Regionaldirektor Sparkasse OÖ), Christoph Musik (GF Acker Österreich), Elisabeth Schunicht (Heimleitung Bezirksalten- und Pflegeheim Schärding), Lothar Musel (Vorstandsmitglied Anteilsverwaltung Allgemeine Sparkasse), Daniela Pöschl (AckerLehrerin), Foto: Werner Kerschbaummayr / Fotokerschi / Sparkasse OÖ

You can regret and lament this fact, or you can take the initiative. This is what happened in 2021 when Christoph Musik, who moved from Upper Bavaria to Brunnental near Schärding, founded Acker Österreich, a non-profit limited company. At its centre is the simple idea that children need contact with nature, exercise and a balanced diet for their development. Instead of lecturing, the children are invited to grow their own vegetables. This playfully awakens their curiosity for nature and teaches them valuable, practical knowledge. Terms such as sowing, planting, mulching or harvesting are emotionally charged. An understanding of nature, ecological relationships and food production grows automatically.

And this is how the GemüseAckerdemie works in practice!

How it all began: Christoph Schmitz, who grew up on a farm in Germany, studied agriculture and economics and completed his doctorate at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. With the birth of his daughter in 2012, he asked himself many questions: Do children really understand agriculture when they visit farms? Wouldn't it be better if the field came to the children, for example in kindergartens or schools? This gave rise to the idea of an educational programme on vegetable growing and sustainability. In 2021, he founded the social enterprise Acker Österreich with sociologist Christoph Musik and launched the GemüseAckerdemie in Austria.

The success is impressive: More than 164,000 schoolchildren have already tilled in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 1,210 schools are taking part in the GemüseAckerdemie. And 66% of the children are enthusiastic! That means that young people are not (or no longer) enthusiastic about nature.

Schoolchildren in Schärding also become VegetableFieldEdemicists

Since April, pupils at Schärding secondary school have been working to promote healthy eating and sustainability. Thanks to the support of Sparkasse Oberösterreich, the GemüseAckerdemie has been helping them to sow, cultivate and harvest for four years, both practically and with learning materials for the theoretical foundation.

#schongenial - when initiatives emerge out of nowhere and make a substantial contribution to achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We make positive things visible - we make positive things conscious! already brilliant!

You can find more information at GemüseAckerdemie - Austria - Knowledge grows here.

It's nice to see so many positive things:
sparkasse-ooe
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