Kesa’s area of focus is community nutrition.

“From Garden to Fork: Serving Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables in Johannesburg, S.A. Schools” will be presented from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on September 17, in Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live. This seminar is part of an ongoing series organized by the Interinstitutional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and the University Libraries. It will be presented by Hema Kesa, of the University of Johannesburg and Amit Sharma, of Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management.

The School Food Gardens Program is a pillar of the National School Nutrition Program (NSNP) in South Africa. Its purpose is to develop students’ skills in producing food for their schools and serve as a resource for teaching and learning. Schools participating in NSNP are required to implement food production initiatives, given available resources. In 2011, The South African Department of Basic Education purchased and distributed 16 vegetable tunnels and other agricultural resources to support schools in sustaining their vegetable gardens. A variety of vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, beetroot and onion were planted. This presentation will identify the various motivations for school gardens and discuss their whether current incentives would assure sustainability.