Some 50,000 primary school students across the country will learn how to grow their own vegetables under a new initiative led by SuperValu and not-for-profit Grow it Yourself (GIY).

Classrooms will be provided with the tools for vegetable growing including packs of seeds, compost discs and pots for growing, as well as teacher resource packs with curriculum-linked lesson plans and activities.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys launched the SuperValu and GIY ‘Let’s GROW’ initiative with students at Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Inchicore, Co Dublin.

The project will run for three years and primary schools are encouraged to register here to receive their free ‘Let’s GROW’ classroom kit.

Minister Humphreys said the initiative puts “growing food firmly back on the table for students, leading to the development of lifelong skills that will support healthier living”.

Partnership

Founded in 2008, GIY supports people to live healthier and more sustainable lives by growing some of their own food.

Speaking at the launch, its founder and CEO Michael Kelly explained how impactful the simple act of sowing seeds can be for children.

“Through our work, we know that by growing their own food, children develop a greater curiosity and understanding of how food is produced and how it gets to our tables.

“Perhaps most importantly, research consistently shows that children who grow some of their own vegetables are more likely to eat more vegetables – a vital habit to support healthier people and the planet."

SuperValu managing director Ian Allen said Let’s GROW will instill in primary school students a “life-long interest in food”.

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50,000 primary school students to learn how to grow vegetables

The ‘Let’s Grow’ initiative will see seeds, compost discs and pots sent to schools so students can learn how to grow their own vegetables.