Definitely this is a program for schools. In November attended the Slow Food International Congress in Napoli. The US Slow Food organization (see
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/) has announced a nationwide push to get small farms going in public and private schools nationwide. Same thrust as when there was a nationwide movement in the US to get physical ed going in schools. The US has a big problem in that one in every three children is either diabetic or a candidate to being a diabetic. This is attributed to the distancing of the population with real food and the takeover of school cafeterias by companies such as McDonalds, etc. The Slow Food program wants to start the farms so that the children can have an encounter with real food and the farms may eventually begin to supply the cafeterias. Note that Alice Waters, the president of Slow Food USA (also appointed Vice President International Slow Food in the Napoli convention), owns Chez Panisse restaurant that was named Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine in 2001, so this is mainstream Americana. Read about her work at
http://www.chezpanisse.com/alice.html
This is about educating the taste of people, and especially the new generations, so they can make choices.
Having started at home with worm composting of our own wastes (see post by Caco), and planting our herbs and timidly planting tomatoes, peppers, salad greens, we feel more people should be doing this. We live in an apartment on a 6th floor and use a small area of our terrace for this, planting in containers. My husband and I head the local chapter of Slow Food in the Dominican Republic and our plan is to take up the US initiative and do a pilot program in our son's school in Santo Domingo, and then take what we learn to be replicated by others around the country. Anyone who wants to try a pilot program anywhere else, is welcome to go for it. While the US program will need to be adapted to work in the DR, lots of what they are doing will apply here, too. Anyone interested, just email me directly to work on this pilot program together. Everytime I pass by the empty dirt lots at the public schools around the country, I get to asking why these could not be planted. So here is a challenge to do something about it!