How learning grows in school gardens across the Indo-Pacific

Living on a fishing island in the Maldives for eight months was a turning point in my career. 

It was 2012, and I was conducting my PhD fieldwork at a school on Raa Meedhoo, exploring how teachers could embrace active learning approaches like problem solving, rather than having students simply listen and repeat information. 

During this time, I experienced the scarcity of fresh vegetables firsthand, particularly leafy greens that don’t travel well on cargo boats from the capital Malé. Instead, local communities typically rely heavily on a diet based on fish and coconut.  

I also became acutely aware that I was unintentionally contributing to the growing mounds of waste on the beach. Because of limited infrastructure on the islands, waste accumulates on the beach until it is burned, taken somewhere or washed into the sea.    

It became clear that this growing waste problem needed a waste reduction strategy. 

Greening island schools 

Because schools are central...