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 and workshops were hosted at Community Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Environment Program (CSHEP) Centres in Ndeiya (Kiambu) and Kiserian (Kajiado), and at Drylands Natural Resources Center (DNRC) in Mbooni (Makueni).
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.
Kipkorir, L.; Apondi, V.; Fuchs, L.E.