What does “Farm to School” encompass? With our school systems’ diverse operations and geography, Farm to School activities can differ greatly across communities. Farm to School activities may involve a few or all of the following parties: school food service staff, farmers, teachers, students, principals, parents, and community partners. Activities may encompass serving locally grown agricultural products in school meals, growing school gardens, taking fieldtrips to local farms, nutrition and agriculture education, and other activities that connect students to the food they eat.
Whether the goal is to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among students, support your local farmers, or offer nutrition and agriculture education there are many reasons for school districts and farmers to collaborate. The webpages linked below will help school districts and farmers make the necessary connections to begin or expand their Farm to School efforts within their communities.
Implementing Farm to School Activities School Food Service Professionals Working with Farmers
Create a Farm to School Plan or Vision
Establishing a plan or vision for your Farm to School efforts will help ensure success. There are many resources available to assist you in developing a Farm to School plan/vision, but here are a few key ideas to keep in mind:
1)
What will your Farm to School activities encompass?
a) Will your efforts go beyond purchasing local food items?
b) Will your efforts include agriculture and nutrition education, taste-testings, local
harvest events, field trips to nearby farms, etc.?
2)
Create a Farm to School team in your community. This team may include school food service managers and employees, school administrators, farmers, distributors, teachers, students, parents, community members, etc.
a) Be creative and inclusive when forming your team.
b) Review the Farm to school Implementation and Promotion section of the USDA Farm
to School Team 2010 Summary Report for a list of key stakeholders identified during
the 2010 Farm to School site visits.
c) Review the Supporting Farm to School webpage which provides ideas for engaging
school district personnel and connecting with the community.
3)
Set achievable goals.
a) Goals in the cafeteria could focus on number and frequency local food items are
served.
b) Goals in the classroom may be geared toward physical activity, or agriculture and
nutrition education.
4)
Start small. It is important not to feel overwhelmed with all that you would like to accomplish. Starting small increases your chances of success and gives you a foundation to build on.
a) Choose one or two local food items that you can easily incorporate into your existing
recipes or menu.
b) If you have a larger school district, consider testing the local food item(s) at a few
school sites rather than the entire district.
c) Begin with school sites that is willing to make the shift to incorporating local food items and grow from there.
5)
Develop a back-up plan. If the local food items you intend to purchase are unavailable for some reason, be prepared with a back-up plan.
a) For example, ordering a secondary choice through a contracted distributor or have
frozen or canned options on hand.
While creating your Farm to School plan or vision, think about including evaluative measures to ensure success. For more information on Farm to School evaluation, as well as example evaluation tools, please visit Farm to School Evaluation Tools and the Impact and Evaluation section of the USDA Farm to School Team 2010 Summary Report.
