Longitudinal Effects of School Gardens on Academic Performance among Adolescent Girls in Rural Mozambique,

Rural Mozambique faces significant education challenges, particularly for adolescent girls who often lack access to educational resources and support. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including pre- and post-assessments of academic performance alongside qualitative interviews to understand programme dynamics and perceptions. Adolescent girls who participated in school garden programmes showed an average improvement of 10% in their standardised test scores over the five-year study period. The findings suggest that integrating educational activities like school gardens into rural education systems can have positive impacts on academic achievement among adolescent females. Schools and local authorities should be encouraged to implement more such integrated programmes as part of their curriculum, especially in underserved rural areas. adolescent girls, Mozambique, school gardens, educational impact, academic performance