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.

With the support of the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt!, a kindergarten and a school in the Munich area can start with the AckerRackern and the GemüseAckerdemie 2025 and go through the programs. The foundation supports the educational institutions financially over four years to establish a vegetable field as a sustainable green learning space at the institutions.