Sprouting Entrepreneurs: Growing Change for Sustainable Development. School Gardens as Entrepreneurship Education Labs. Promoting Livelihoods, Food Security, Healthy Nutrition and Civic Engagement.

The project is implemented through the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) (lead) in co-operation with its South African partners: Department of Education: Gauteng Province (GDE); Eastern Cape Province (ECDoE); In-kind: cost of training facilitator and their international travel/development, print and distribution of teacher manual is covered by BMBWF; cost venue/catering are covered by GDE/ECDoE; Entrepreneurship Learning Garden starter packs (ZAR 10,000 per school- tools, compost, seeds) are covered by GDE/ECDoE; The programme has been jointly developed by South African and Austrian experts. It is rolled out as an elective three year subject for primary and secondary schools. A subject curriculum and teacher manual is available. Teachers are trained as groups of 10 schools which form communities of practice (CoPs). Selection of schools, coordination and support of CoPs is secured through a subject adviser as the local education district. Teacher training consists of 78 training hours including a practical project. Parallel to the teacher training the subject is introduced as a pilot at schools. At schools, Entrepreneurship Learning Garden coordinators monitor the implementation of the subject and the development of an annual class-based teaching plan which ensures cross-curricular integration of entrepreneurship education as well as garden-based learning for sustainable development. Each class completes two value-creation projects per year. Examples: 1. Growing of organic vegetables/seedlings for sale at pop-up market; 2. Mapping and clearing of invasive plants in the community; 3. Production and distribution of Ubuntu-food-parcels to food-insecure households; 4. workshop on organic compost making at the local community hall;