La Agroecología Escolar como Estrategia Educativa para Fortalecer la Seguridad Alimentaria en Casabianca, Tolima

This study aimed to design and implement a school-based agroecological pedagogical strategy to strengthen food security among students at this study aimed to develop a pedagogical strategy based on school agroecology to promote food security among students at the Institución Educativa Técnico General José Joaquín García, Sede 10 Peñolcitos (Casabianca, Tolima, Colombia). A mixed-methods approach was adopted, with a non-experimental design and a descriptive scope. In the first phase, a quantitative diagnostic assessment was conducted using a validated questionnaire to identify students’ knowledge and perceptions regarding agroecology, school gardens, and healthy eating. In the second phase, a qualitative intervention was implemented through a didactic sequence structured around three axes: conceptual training, an agroecological school garden, and a healthy cooking workshop. The analysis was strengthened through triangulation of evidence from field journals, checklists, observations, and socialization spaces with mothers. The results revealed the presence of favorable preconceptions, along with specific gaps related to the understanding of the integral nature of agroecology, food security, and the school garden beyond a purely productive perspective. Training activities developed through talks, games, and playful strategies contributed to reducing these gaps. The school garden was consolidated as a living classroom through the organization of irrigation, weeding, monitoring, and recording brigades, which strengthened student participation, activated the composting system, and promoted scientific and civic competencies such as observation, argumentation, and shared responsibility. Likewise, the cooking workshop integrated hygiene and nutrition practices with the use of garden products, facilitating the transfer of learning from the school environment to the family context and fostering the appreciation of healthy eating. It is concluded that environmental education with an agroecological approach enhances the development of conscious eating habits and environmental stewardship when materialized through comprehensive and context-based pedagogical tools. It is recommended to strengthen its institutionalization through routines, monitoring indicators, curricular alignment, and community partnerships that ensure the continuity and scaling of the proposal.