Article section
Linking Agricultural Education and School Feeding Programs for Food Security in Rwanda’s Basic Education System: A Competency-Based Approach
Abstract
This study focuses on how agricultural education and the National School Feeding Program (NSFP) can be incorporated into Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Rwanda as one of the ways of improving food security and experiential education in basic education. The purpose of the study was to establish the impacts of school-based agricultural learning and feeding programs on the agricultural knowledge of school students, their awareness of nutrition and food security practices at school and at home. The design was mixed methods and consisted of 213 respondents including students,teachers,parents, and school administrators from Gatsibo, Gicumbi, and Rulindo District. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis were applied in the analysis of quantitative data, whereas thematic analysis was used in qualitative data. The results indicated that the incorporation of agricultural education and school feeding was very effective in enhancing students’ knowledge of sustainable farming, healthy diets, and community-based food systems. Students used the skills gained at school in their homes, which helped to increase the nutrition at home and the variety of food. The teacher and administrators were critical in connecting the practical agricultural activities with the classroom lessons, and community cooperation was enhanced by the involvement of parents. The research concludes that agricultural education in relation to school feeding, as part of the CBC, is effective in developing agribusiness competencies and sustainable food security. The study also highlights the emerging role of e-learning and multimedia tools in supporting practical agricultural learning and strengthening knowledge transfer from school to home. To achieve maximum long-term effects on the educational and agricultural development of Rwanda, teacher training, institutional support, and the integration of digital learning are necessary.
Keywords:
Agricultural Education CBC Experiential Learning Food Security School Feeding Program
Article information
Journal
Journal of Education, Learning, and Management
Volume (Issue)
2(2), (2025)
Pages
383-393
Published
Copyright
Copyright (c) 2025 Xavier Uwiringiyimana, Darsono Darsono, Ernoiz Antriyandarti (Author)
Open access

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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