Pathways of change: Schools as building blocks towards nurturing biodiversity and resilient agricultural and food systems

When we think of schools, we often imagine classrooms, textbooks, and examinations. Yet, schools hold untapped potential to serve as mini-Living Labs for sustainable food system transformation, bridging the gap between ecological farming, ecosystem restoration, and community resilience.

Recent co‑design workshops in what we refer to as the Lower Eastern Integrated Landscape (LEILA) reinforced this vision by bringing together educators, learners, farmer‑researchers, and county representatives to plan practical, school‑led actions for nutrition, biodiversity, and climate resilience. In total, about 30 schools were engaged across the three counties. Workshops were hosted at Community Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Environment Program (CSHEP) Centres in Ndeiya (Kiambu) and Kiserian (Kajiado) on 29–30 July 2025, and at Drylands Natural Resources Center (DNRC) in Mbooni (Makueni) on 5 August 2025.

The Biodiversity for Resilient Ecosystems of Agricultural Landscapes (B-REAL) Project, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CSHEP, DNRC, Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association Kenya, and other CGIAR partners, is reimagining schools as drivers of agroecological change. The B-REAL project is part of the CGIAR Science Program on Multifunctional Landscapes (MFL SP) that supports engagement in so-called Living Landscapes or Living Labs.

According to the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), Living Labs are defined as “user-centred, open innovation ecosystems based on a systematic user co-creation approach, integrating research and innovation processes in real-life communities and settings”. With that, Living Labs are well positioned to address complex challenges requiring multi-scalar, multi-actor, multi-dimensional and holistic solutions. In the MFL SP, we build Living Lab engagement on the Agroecological Living Landscapes (ALLs) established under the CGIAR Agroecology Initiative are not primarily defined by geographical or administrative boundaries, but by the functionality of the territory. A Living Lab hence refers to:

• A geographically coherent territory or landscape at the local / sub-national level (typically: a district),
• Which encompasses diverse actors (local, regional or national) who care & are concerned about promoting just food system transitions (including agroecology) in this territory or landscape,
• Who are willing to take transformative action towards just food systems,
• Whose interactions, utilization and hence ‘meaning’ bestow varying boundaries on that landscape.

Building on the work of the CGIAR Agroecology Initiative in Kenya with farmer training centres and their networks of farmer groups, networks of trainers-of-trainees, and agroecology trial participants, we now add a layer to the existing Living Labs by developing a network of Multifunctional Schools. Here, we respond to an invitation of CSHEP and DNRC to build on and strengthen their existing collaboration with local schools in the LLs.

More than 30 schools came together with our team in a recent series of co-design workshops in Kiambu, Kajiado, and Makueni, including head teachers, agriculture teachers, school parents engaged in the farmer researcher network established under the Agroecology Initiative, alongside nutritionists, extension agents, and several county government representatives. The aim of these initial engagements was to jointly shape the development of the Multifunctional Schools concept and agenda to ensure that schools act not only as learning centres, but also as catalysts for resilient and multifunctional agricultural landscapes. In these sessions, participants also mapped assets and gaps, and began drafting school‑level action pathways.

Pathways of change

Together with CSHEP and DNRC, we will engage with teachers and students engaged in agricultural and environmental studies and clubs (including the so-called 4K clubs), and support the establishment and participatory management of three inter-related facilities and functions:

1. Multipurpose tree nurseries: Contributing to agrobiodiversity, carbon sequestration, and climate adaptation, while supplying fruit and fodder to local households.
2. Organic school gardens: Practical learning platforms that integrate science, nutrition, and agroecology, while generating diverse, chemical-free foods.
3. Community seed banks: Preserving indigenous germplasm, multiplying seed for community use, enhancing crop resilience to climate stress, and safeguarding local food heritage.

Beyond producing tree seedlings, seeds, and crops, the facilities serve as spaces that support practical training, experimentation, co-learning, and broader “seeing is believing”. During the workshops, schools also discussed where to site these facilities, what species and crops to prioritize (including local and indigenous varieties), and how to organize student and parent participation. The Multifunctional Schools concept continues being developed to balance benefitting participants, the schools themselves, students’ families, and the broader community in the LLs, while observing a fair distribution of incentives and compensation.

Why schools matter

• Socio-ecological positioning: Schools are embedded in communities that act as nodes connecting learners, households, farmer research networks, and broader food systems.
• Nutrition & health impact: School meal programs can be encouraged through the production of clean and safe food that can improve dietary diversity and deficiencies among children.
• Knowledge co-creation and sharing: Agroecological practices integrated into school curricula foster intergenerational learning, enabling children to become stewards of biodiversity and sustainable farming practices.
• Scaling innovation: Schools provide visible, replicable models of sustainable land use that communities can adopt.

The co‑design emphasized inclusive participation (women, youth, and marginalized groups) and highlighted the value of integrating agroecology, nutrition, and tree planting into daily routines so that learning in school extends into households and local farming systems

From Plans to Action: Commitments and Next Steps

Embedding Living Lab engagement in schools has the potential to create synergistic impacts across education, nutrition, and ecosystems. Our engagement builds on a clear hypothesis: when schools integrate sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation into their learning systems, they generate measurable benefits for children’s learning outcomes, dietary quality, and environmental resilience – something that we summarise as social-ecological system gains.

From the workshops, several immediate next steps emerged: schools and partners agreed to start implementation in the selected schools, prioritize training (e.g., composting, seed saving, nursery management), and track progress using simple indicators such as tree seedling establishment, tree survival, seed multiplication, and community outreach. Coordination will be supported through WhatsApp groups, periodic review meetings hosted by the centres, and light monitoring templates, ensuring adaptive management and shared learning across counties.

Some of the main challenges and opportunities we will continue to address include mainstreaming transdisciplinary, participatory research approaches; strengthening locally led networking and co‑design in Living Labs; and deepening farmer‑to‑school linkages to ensure sustainability and scalability. The workshops also pointed to the importance of an enabling environment: aligning Multifunctional School Networks with County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), strengthening supply chains (seedlings, compost, nutritious foods), and building technical support networks to sustain mentorship and knowledge sharing. Through these, schools provide important pathways for systemic change, cultivating not only students but also informed and caring citizens, resilient communities, and regenerative landscapes.

Authors: Lang’at Kipkorir, Victoria Apondi, Lisa Elena Fuchs, (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, Africa Hub, Kenya)