SCHOOL FOOD ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Farm to School
Institute a farm-to-school program to incorporate fresh, local produce into school meals while teaching children about local agriculture
The Farm to School movement is becoming a national movement as more and more schools recognize the importance of bringing fresh, high quality produce and other farm fresh products to school-age children. A farm-to-school partnership, incorporating locally and/or regionally grown farm fresh products into student meals, offers a healthy alternative to the fast-food courts that are increasingly taking over school cafeterias. Farm to School programs introduce children to healthy, delicious produce (and other products such as milk, beans, meat, etc.) in the cafeteria while teaching them about the source of their food in the classroom. These programs also create new market opportunities for local farmers. Farm-to-school programs can be as varied as the climates and environments in which they take place and can be successfully initiated from a top-down approach at the school district level or from a bottom-up approach with local farmers or parents.
The National Farm to School Program provides an overview and summary of the Farm to School movement.
Going Local: Paths to Success for Farm to School Programs (PDF)
Showcases innovative farm to school programs from around the country. It draws upon the existing information as well as new research to present a compilation of eight case studies of farm to school programs operating in different regions of the country.
Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch is a grassroots program whose goal is to enhance Wisconsin schools' existing meal programs by introducing fresh, nutritious, local and sustainably grown food to children.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (PDF)
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is committed to promoting the health of its students by linking the Departments of Food and Nutrition Services with Health Services, Health and Physical Education and, Family and Community Services.
Farm to School: Case Studies and Resources for Success (PDF)
This resource from the National Farm to School Program provides 14 case studies of successful Farm to School programs. Case studies include New Jersey Farm to School Project, Central Iowa Farm to School Success Stories, and the Yolo County Farm to School Project Evaluation.
A Growing Movement: A Decade of Farm to School in California
This Center for Food and Justice report highlights farm to school programs in California. It illustrates various impacts that the program had on the community such as education and learning, policies that supported the program, and outreach.
Farm to School Procurement Information Package
This tool developed by the Community Food Security Coalition provides explanatory, background information, as well as useful tools to use in describing this issue to others. Elements included an overview of the basic issues, legislation and regulations, geographic preferences, and Power Point presentations for your use.
Eat Smart: Farm Fresh! (PDF)
This resource from the USDA focuses on food procurement, types and examples of farm-to-school distribution models, how to find locally-grown food and farmers, menu planning considerations, and strategies for success.
How Local Schools and Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliances (PDF)
This report is designed to help small farmers and school food service buyers throughout the country explore how they can establish mutually beneficial business relationships. The checklist at the back of the publication is especially useful.
How to Develop a Salad Bar for School Lunch Menu Programs (PDF)
Dr. Slusser and her colleagues at UCLA describe the efforts of a salad bar pilot program at Los Angeles Unified School District and provide an overview of how food services, parents, students and school personnel can implement a salad-bar program.
Farm to School Resource Packet
The National Farm to School Program will send you a free Farm to School Resource Packet with information about farm to school in your area and nationwide.
Berkeley Unified School District Food Policy
Requires food served by Berkeley Unified School District to be nutritious, locally grown, and when possible, organic.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy
Ensures that students receive high quality, nutritious foods and nutrition education, at all grade levels. Reinforces the Farmer’s Market Salad Bar program as a learning tool and a mechanism for serving healthy food to students on a daily basis.
in ENACT Local Policy Database
The National Farm to School Program
The National Farm to School Program a joint project of the Center for Food and Justice and the Community Food Security Coalition. The program has helped create pilot projects directly in schools that buy from local farmers, provided on-going technical assistance to potential and current projects, conducted educational seminars and workshops on farm to school, and evaluated existing projects. In 2007 the National Farm to School Program Launched the National Farm to School Network to practitioners in the farm to school arena, as well as other public health, farming, and educational leaders at the national and regional level).
The Community Food Security Coalition Farm to School Program
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) is a North American organization of dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food to all people at all times. CFSC provides background information, research, and links for building farm-school connections and enhancing availability of fresh produce at schools.
The Farm to School Program at CFJ supports the development, expansion and evaluation of farm to school programs in California and nationwide. CFJ assists school administrators, food service personnel, farmers, parents, teachers, and community members to establish farm to school by providing training and technical assistance, disseminating informational resources, promoting collaboration and networking.
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Community Alliance for Family Farmers’ (CAFF) program is focused on creating distribution networks that can be used by school nutrition directors to purchase their produce from local farms easily by making the purchase of more fruits and vegetables a sustainable economic choice.
Farm-to-School programs promote health and nutrition**
This article evaluates the significance of farm-to-school in relation to improving the health and nutrition of school-age children, particularly low-income youth; strengthening the capacity of local farmers, particularly those engaged in sustainable practices.
Vallianatos M, Gottlieb R, Haase MA Farm-to-School: Strategies for Urban Health, Combating Sprawl and Establishing a Community Food Systems Approach Journal of Planning Education and Research. 2004; 23(4): 414-423
** We can only provide links to the article abstracts and not the full text.