Children have been using art to learn about environmental problems forced on developing countries by Western consumers.
As part of a Christian Aid project highlighting the way developing countries have adopted inappropriate, intensive farming methods to satisfy the West’s demand for cheap food and other products, pupils at six Midlands schools have produced art on the theme of the Global Supermarket Garden.
The project introduces children to the complexities of global trade, in which child labour is rife and food is often produced using large amounts of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. This approach is unsustainable in the long run, says Christian Aid.
At one of the schools involved, Folville Junior School in Leicester, pupils created a multicolour batik on the theme of the international coffee, tea and cocoa trade.
Folville headteacher Joan Bertram says the children used techniques developed in the Third World to make a beautiful piece of art while learning about the lives of families overseas.
