Cultivating Food Literacy for Sustainable Food Security: Local Wisdom-Based Project-Based Learning in Transition to Elementary Education
Keywords:
food literacy, food security, project-based learning, local wisdom, early childhood educationAbstract
Food literacy in early childhood is pivotal for establishing healthy eating habits and preparing children to navigate increasingly complex food environments while contributing to sustainable food security. Situated in Indonesia’s rich local foodways, this study targets the transition from kindergarten preparation to elementary school as a formative window for culturally grounded learning. This study examined whether a local wisdom-based project-based learning (PjBL) model can strengthen young children’s food literacy and early food security during the transition to elementary education. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was implemented with 236 children aged 5–6 years in kindergarten preparation classes across five Indonesian cities. Children participated in 10 weeks of local-food PjBL units (gardening, traditional-market visits, simple cooking, and food rituals). Quantitative data from a multi-indicator food literacy and food-security battery were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modelling, while qualitative data from classroom observations, teacher interviews, and reflective journals were thematically analyzed. The final PLS-SEM model showed that engagement in local-food PjBL predicted higher food literacy (β = 0.573, p < .001, R² = 0.328) and food security-related behaviors (β = 0.447, p < .001, R² = 0.199). Qualitative themes of sustained participation, curiosity, collaboration, positive emotions, and authentic pro-sustainability behaviors illustrated how children translated project experiences into everyday food practices at school and home. Overall, the findings indicate that culturally grounded PjBL offers a low-cost, context-sensitive strategy for cultivating food literacy and early food security in elementary education and provide actionable evidence for integrating local-food projects into early-years curricula and policy.
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