A HORTA ESCOLAR COMO ESTRATÉGIA DE ENSINO DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL EM ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS DA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA DE CATALÃO/GO

Abstract

This study sought to analyze the school garden as a pedagogical strategy for teaching Environmental Education (EE) in public basic education schools in Catalão/GO, and at the same time, to understand how this theme is incorporated into the Political Pedagogical Projects (PPP), as well as to investigate the managers' perception of the use of the school garden as a formative strategy. This research stems from the relevance of environmental education in the face of contemporary socio-environmental challenges and the potential of school gardens as a tool for integrating theory and practice, promoting healthy eating habits, ecological awareness, and socio-emotional skills. The investigation adopted a qualitative approach, with an exploratory and descriptive character, structured in two stages: a literature review in databases (SciELO, CAPES, and Google Scholar) and the application of a semi-structured questionnaire to school administrators. The data were analyzed using the Content Analysis technique, categorized into thematic axes related to the research objectives. The results indicate that, although school gardens are widely recognized by administrators as effective environmental education strategies, their presence in the school's pedagogical projects is limited and frequently recorded only as a complementary activity. Schools with gardens show greater integration between theory and practice, develop interdisciplinary projects, and report concrete benefits, while institutions without gardens remain in the realm of intention, presuming results. Structural and institutional challenges were identified, such as insufficient financial resources, a lack of trained personnel, and difficulties in maintaining the gardens, especially outside of school hours. Despite these obstacles, the managers demonstrated a willingness to expand these initiatives and suggested partnerships with institutions and public bodies, as well as greater systematization of environmental education in the curriculum. It is concluded that the inclusion of environmental education in public basic education schools in the municipality of Catalão/GO is in the process of consolidation, requiring formal registration in the school's pedagogical projects, institutional support, continuing teacher training, and public policies to ensure the sustainability of the actions, making the school garden a permanent and effective pedagogical resource.