A sustentabilidade e boas práticas alimentares na educação infantil no CMEI professora Clarice Maria Breem do município de Quatro Pontes-PR

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the contribution of implementing an organic school garden at the Centro Municipal de Educação Infantil (CMEI) Professora Clarice Maria Bremm with children aged 2 to 3 years in Quatro Pontes-PR, to raising awareness about sustainable rural development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recognizing the urgency of Agenda 21 and the importance of Environmental Education for holistic development, the study proposed the garden as a pedagogical tool to engage children, families, and the school community in sustainable practices.Grounded in Michel Thiollent’s action research and Michel Bakhtin’s dialogical theories, the methodology sought transformation and the collective construction of knowledge. Data analysis, including reports from children and guardians, demonstrated that the school garden provided access to fresh, organic foods, encouraged healthier eating habits, and promoted understanding of cultivation practices without pesticides, such as the use of cistern water and natural fertilization.The results revealed the children’s protagonism throughout the process, from planting to harvesting, developing motor, cognitive, and social skills, and generating a lasting impact on families, who showed increased interest in planting at home and consuming vegetables. The children’s statements, analyzed from a Bakhtinian perspective, highlighted the internalization of the cultivation process and a positive association with health and well-being.The action research confirmed the garden’s potential to raise awareness about rural sustainability, connect participants with the environment, and promote concrete behavioral changes. Despite challenges such as family participation and the fragmentation of environmental education in curricula, the study concludes that projects like the school garden are powerful pedagogical tools. They promote food security, environmental awareness from early childhood — a crucial period for value formation — and significantly contribute to developing more conscious, participatory, and committed citizens, integrating the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of rural development.