Spring/Summer 2000, Volume 5 Number 2

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Connecting Small Farms to Schools:
The Farm to School Initiative...

by Noreen Springstead

I can distinctly remember the food from my school cafeteria being extremely unappealing.  From soggy pizza with processed cheese to sodium enhanced french fries, the choices were limited and unappetizing.  Healthy eating was clearly not a priority of the school. Studies show there is a direct connection between good nutrition and cognitive development.  A balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables also improves our overall health, and decreases our chances of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and other diet-related diseases including cancer. Providing healthy food choices in school is the starting point for life-long nutritious eating habits that can prevent disease, increase our well being and reconnect us to the land.

I’m not sure if much has changed since I was on the school lunch line, but I would imagine that the food is still not that great. The Farm to School Initiative is an exciting project that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service has launched to bring together small farms and local schools. This initiative serves the dual purpose of creating new markets for small family farmers and improving the health of children in school.  Besides serving these two primary functions, the greater impact of this initiative can be seen in many other areas. 

Local food is grown and harvested by farmers and then sold to the school meals program.  This creates a stabilizing situation for family farmers who at present are going out of business daily. Since food is grown and distributed locally, the distance that the food travels from the field to your plate has been drastically reduced, thus cutting down on transportation costs and negative environmental impact. Farmers also teach kids in the classroom about how food is grown and the importance of incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into their diet. 

The farmers visit to the school plays a vital role in making the connection of where food comes from and how it is grown and harvested. Many schools are reconnecting kids to the land by teaching them about farming and healthy eating. They are also utilizing fresh food in cooking programs. As kids become more familiarized with different types of fresh foods, their attitudes about healthy eating are improved. By incorporating the benefits of healthy eating into classroom curriculum, the chances of a student making healthy food choices in the school cafeteria is increased.  Schools that are experimenting with the Farm to School Initiative have seen a dramatic increase in salad bar participation and healthy food choices.  Other meals that are prepared at the school incorporate the fresh foods brought in from the farmers.

As attitudes and eating habits change in the school, the long-term health of children improves. These dietary changes and attitudes are then transferred to the home where children educate their families about how to prepare healthy foods and the benefits of healthy food choices on their lives.

Noreen Springstead is Program Director of World Hunger Year.

For more information contact: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services Communications and Governmental Affairs 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302 703-305-2000 Website:  www.fns.usda.gov/fns. 
E-mail: webmaster@fns.usda.gov

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