Growing a Healthier Generation: School Gardens Spread in Kazakhstan
Raising awareness about sustainable agriculture and healthy food is especially important in a country like Kazakhstan. The Green School project, led by the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, has built greenhouses in 19 public schools and one college.
16 Jan 2025
Aida Serik is a 28-year-old woman living in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan—an immense Central Asian country, the largest landlocked nation in the world, and one of the least populous, with an average population density of just seven inhabitants per square kilometer. In 2018, she won the Food for Change Challenge: Let’s Cultivate Climate Change Solutions launched by Slow Food. Her project, selected as the best submission from Central Asia, described how the Kazakh national dish, beshbarmak, is prepared. She was subsequently invited to Terra Madre 2018 to receive the award. It was there, in Turin, that she met her future husband, who is also a Kazakh Slow Food activist. They later married and soon after had a daughter. They jokingly refer to themselves as a Slow Food family.
It is no surprise, then, that Aida—who, incidentally, is an agronomist—has found particular inspiration in channeling her activism into food education. As a young parent, she has taken a strong interest in Slow Food’s School Gardens initiative. Over the past three years, the Slow Food Community of Astana Urban Producers has been developing school gardens, successfully creating 20 to date. Aida, the community’s spokesperson, places great importance on collaborating with and learning from others who run similar projects and is always eager to work together toward shared goals.


Aida Serik is a young agronomist and Slow Food activist dedicated to educating the younger generation in Kazakhstan
A Greenhouse for a Green School
Recently, Aida collaborated on the Green School project, led by the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation, which has built greenhouses in 19 public schools and one college. This initiative is being implemented in Astana and Almaty, with the fourth season currently underway in Almaty, where 16 greenhouses are managed by students of various ages, ranging from elementary school children to high school graduates.
The greenhouse serves as a practical supplement to biology and ecology classes. At the College of Service and Tourism, students actively work in the greenhouse, and schoolchildren visit for educational tours. Through these activities, students conduct experiments, write scientific papers, and develop an interest in the field—often inspiring them to pursue higher education in the biological sciences.
The program’s activities aim to teach students (and their teachers) to adopt healthy eating habits using natural, fresh products. By growing vegetables themselves, students gain firsthand experience that fosters an appreciation for these foods. They are introduced to new varieties and flavors, helping them develop a deeper understanding and respect for local products. The experience sparks a genuine interest in growing and caring for plants.
At School No. 68, for example, under the guidance of teacher Lola Kulmuratova, a local herb called jusaï—a type of green onion unique to Kazakhstan—was planted and propagated. This herb is often used in preparing traditional dishes from local cuisine. While developing healthy food menus using greenhouse-grown produce, students stored various vegetables (such as cucumbers and tomatoes) and prepared cool drinks, healthy salads, bread products with spinach and basil, as well as a variety of nutritious pancakes.
A Dangerous Trend
According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), 21% of children aged 6–9 years in Kazakhstan are living with overweight or obesity. “In Kazakhstan, we can see a gradual shift towards the consumption of more sugary drinks and more sedentary leisure time spent with gadgets. But at the same time, we are observing some positive trends. The prevalence of daily physical activity (60 minutes or more) has increased by over 15% and now stands at 86%,” explained Dr. Zhanar Kalmakova, Acting Board Chair at the National Center of Public Health under the Ministry of Health.
Kazakhstan has made limited progress toward achieving diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD) targets. Currently, 25.3% of adult women (aged 18 years and older) and 21.4% of adult men are living with obesity. This obesity prevalence is significantly higher than the regional average of 10.3% for women and 7.5% for men. Additionally, diabetes is estimated to affect 13.0% of adult women and 14.5% of adult men.
“I was glad that my actions helped to broaden horizons and instill correct values. Perhaps some children wouldn’t have had the opportunity to gain the experiences they received in the school garden within their families. One of the teachers, Akerke Turganbek from School No. 83, shared that when she enters the school garden, she forgets about everything, and time just flies by. Thousands of children pass through the hands of teachers, and by inspiring teachers, we can change an entire generation.” "
- Aida Serik -
Experiencing Field Work, Learning Environmental Protection
During the operation of the greenhouses and gardens, Aida and the other trainers conducted various thematic workshops, tours, and tastings. For urban children, often unfamiliar with working the land, it has been an unforgettable and eye-opening experience. Several schools organized summer camps centered around their greenhouses and experimented with planting vegetable gardens. The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation introduced a competition for the best greening of school grounds, offering prizes. Each participant received a grant to purchase necessary materials. Some schools created vegetable gardens, others planted orchards, and some even built ponds and landscaped with decorative plants. Throughout the summer, children were actively engaged in caring for the school grounds.
Raising awareness about sustainable agriculture and healthy food is especially important in a country like Kazakhstan, where the agricultural sector remains the source of livelihood for a large percentage of the population. This is despite the country’s challenging environmental conditions, exemplified by the capital, Astana, which is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar. Additionally, precipitation in Kazakhstan varies between arid and semi-arid conditions, with winters being particularly dry.
“All summer long, the children were busy with meaningful activities. Everyone had a great time working in the school garden. The children were able to bring their ideas to life—something that would have been impossible without the greenhouse. Many city children worked in the garden for the first time, and we had the sense of truly making a difference for a better future.”
Paola Nano
Photo credits: @BulatUtemuratovFoundation and @AidaSerik
Sources:
https://www.instagram.com/aida_agronom
https://globalnutritionreport.org/resources/nutrition-profiles/asia/central-asia/kazakhstan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan
https://utemuratovfund.org/projects/zelenaya-shkola
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9wrybqOI73/?igsh=MXBpbmFyMm5iNGY1aw%3D%3D
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9uf9eGsX_x/?igsh=aGprOTQ4cW54aGxr
https://www.instagram.com/jasylmektep?igsh=OHZoOWFreXZndXFj
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