GIARDINI IN RETE. A MODEL FOR SETTING UP DIDACTIC SOILLESS GARDENS IN SCHOOLS

Children’s understanding on the origin of food is nowadays affected by marketing and advertisements. Horticultural gardens in school may improve children's knowledge about nutrition and the importance of the proper use of natural resources. Simplified soilless gardens may represent an extremely effective educational tool since they allow practical descriptions of biological and biochemical processes related to plant life and growth. Furthermore, due to their independence from fertile soils, the high planting density, and the low labor requirement they represent a viable solution for most urban schools. Starting from 2012, the Giardini in Rete project aims at the introduction of a simplified soilless garden in a secondary school of Bologna to promote biodiversity and urban green landscape. In the present paper the model for setting up a didactic hydroponic vertical garden and the students' responses are addressed