The KNUST Pre-School has held its “Plant for Life” initiative as part of activities marking May as Planting Month, aimed at promoting environmental awareness, food security and sustainable agriculture.
The initiative, themed “Plant for Life: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security, Improve Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture”, forms part of the school’s practical learning activities aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2).
The event brought together parents, staff, clergy, students and guests, including representatives from the Department of Horticulture, KNUST, to participate in the tree-planting exercise.
Mrs. Olivia Ayensu, Deputy Head of the Pre-School, expressed excitement about the initiative, describing it as a dream gradually becoming reality for the school community.
“It gives me great joy to be here in front of you to welcome you to this all-important programme,” she said.
“In fact, it’s like a dream come true for everyone on this compound because we didn’t imagine how it was going to be.”
Mrs. Ayensu explained that the project goes beyond teaching children how to plant trees and is also intended to shape their character and values.
“We are not only teaching these children how to plant, but also instilling values such as responsibility, hard work and the foundations for a successful life,” she said.
According to her, the initiative seeks to provide children with first-hand practical experience while encouraging them to appreciate nature and environmental conservation from an early age.
Mrs. Hannah Adzraku from the Department of Horticulture, highlighted the critical role plants play in improving air quality and creating healthier environments, urging the public to embrace tree planting and proper plant care.
She noted that many people overlook the department because of its old buildings without realising the beauty and environmental value within it.
“A lot of people pass by our department and don’t know what we have there,” she said.
“People see it as an old department with some old buildings, but try stepping in and you realize it’s a Garden of Eden.”
According to her, the abundance of plants within the department has transformed the area into a serene and refreshing environment for both staff and visitors.
Mrs. Adzraku explained that the department undertook a research project to investigate environmental pollution and explore how plants could help purify polluted spaces.
“Fortunately for us at the department, none of our offices seemed to have the pollution levels that we were expecting. Our department was clean and that meant we were breathing in very good quality air,” she said.
She noted that despite the findings, some institutions were reluctant to adopt the researchers’ recommendations to introduce plants into indoor spaces to improve air quality.
According to her, increasing the number of trees and plants in homes, offices and communities could significantly improve environmental conditions and human health.
“They clean the environment, they help us get good food to eat, they make the environment beautiful, they cool the environment for us and we end up enjoying what we are living in,” she added.
Head of the Basic School, Rev. Mrs. Irene Owusuaa Nkansah, said the initiative was an important step toward teaching children about agriculture, responsibility and the sources of the food they consume.
According to her, the programme would help children better understand agriculture and appreciate the effort involved in food production.
“Planting for life, most of the things we eat are things that have to be planted before we get them,” she said.
“It means that we are directing our children to get to know what they eat and how they come about.”
Mrs. Owusuaa Nkansah noted that the programme would expose children to crops such as cocoyam, cassava and plantain, helping bridge the gap between urban lifestyles and agricultural knowledge.
“We want them to know how we plant our kontomire, how we get cassava and other food crops,” she said.
She further emphasised the importance of teaching children responsibility through caring for the plants after they are planted.
“I believe the teachers are also going to help them to be responsible, so that when we come to school, we direct them to water the plants and take good care of them,” she said.
