Acker e. V.

About the organization

“More appreciation for nature and food” - this is what the non-profit social enterprise Acker is committed to throughout the German-speaking world. The focus is on the award-winning educational programs AckerRacker and GemüseAckerdemie: in the multi-year programs, children and young people grow their own vegetables - directly at school, daycare or kindergarten.  They experience first-hand how small seeds and seedlings grow into crunchy vegetables. By planting, tending, harvesting and tasting together, they develop a greater appreciation for nature and food and learn the basics of sustainable nutrition.

The supervising AckerTeachers and AckerEducators are actively supported by Acker, so that participation in the program is possible even without previous gardening experience. Workshops and further training courses qualify the teachers. Extensive educational materials are available on the Acker learning platform, and curriculum-compliant teaching units help to integrate sustainability education into the classroom.

Together with the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt!, Acker e. V. aims to sensitize children and young people to environmental issues and motivate them to take action. With the Acker, they learn core competencies according to aspects of education for sustainable development, as well as how to deal with conflicting goals with a view to possible strategies for action. Using natural phenomena and methodical discussion systems, moral dilemmas and balancing processes are discussed, such as human intervention in one's own field in the event of pest infestation. The children thus acquire knowledge and skills that go beyond the learning environment of the field and create an awareness of the need for a more sustainable way of life.

In 2025, the first AckerJahr program was implemented in the educational programs of the inclusive Luise-Kiesselbach Elementary School in Munich and the Protestant kindergarten Floriansanger Neubiberg.

Both learning centers started the season with great enthusiasm, accompanied by dedicated educators, parents, and volunteers. Thanks to funding from the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt!, the children can grow their own vegetables, learn where their food comes from, and develop a new appreciation for nature and food.

GemüseAckerdemie at Luise-Kiesselbach Elementary School in Munich

The AckerJahr began in March with a planting workshop led by an AckerCoach and three teachers. Together, they laid out beds and paths, practiced planting techniques, and prepared for the start of the program. Three planting sessions took place with the children over the course of the year – supervised by the Acker coach and supported by the Acker e. V. learning platform. They tended, harvested, and marveled at earthworms, firebugs, grubs – and, of course, their own vegetables. Thirty-five children benefited from the beds and the lovingly named “miracle garden” in the first AckerYear. The joy of discovery and pride in their own harvest were immense. A special highlight was the visit by founder Petra Martin for reseeding in July: the children presented their field, sang a song, and celebrated with a buffet of homemade treats – many of them straight from their own field.

AckerRacker at the Floriansanger Protestant Kindergarten in Neubiberg

The first AckerJahr also got off to a flying start at the Floriansanger Kindergarten. Three teachers shared responsibility for the field and were actively supported by parents, who helped prepare the field during two gardening days. Twenty-five children aged 3–6 accompanied their AckerSaison from planting to tending to harvesting – supported by the hand puppet Rudi Radieschen and the AckerGeschichten stories. The children continue to visit their field regularly throughout autumn and winter to observe the changes in nature.