Our Story and the Emergence of a Coordinated Farm to School Movement in Canada

Farm to school* is an approach to school food that’s gaining momentum in Canada, but how did this movement emerge and what role did Farm to Cafeteria Canada play? 

The idea of connecting students to food and their food system isn’t new. Indigenous worldviews and ways of learning are rooted in the reciprocal relationship between people, the land and the sustenance it provides. The land is integral to Indigenous food systems, culture and celebration and since time immemorial Indigenous people have shared the essential teachings and skills needed for life with children and youth through land-based learning and connection to their foodways. 

Our story: an overview

Jump to detailed timeline

F2CC envisions meaningful school food environments where all students feel welcomed and nourished in body, mind and spirit. The story presented below takes place in a time of colonization and we acknowledge that Canada’s colonial history includes many traumas created by both residential schools and harms done through food, and many of these systems persist today. F2CC is committed to reflecting, honouring and amplifying Indigenous voices, perspectives and values in our work. 

Learn more about our commitments and actions to nourishing Indigenous food and foodways in schools here.

*The term “Local food to school” can be used instead of “farm to school.” This term is preferred in some regions and Indigenous communities. It reflects the diversity of local and traditional foods that can be enjoyed in schools from coast to coast to coast, many of which are not sourced from a farm.

School gardens date back more than a century (Canada and US examples) and teaching food skills in schools was normal, if not expected, until recent decades. The beginnings of farm to school as a coordinated “movement” in Canada can be traced back to 2006 in Quesnel, BC where school food champion Michelle Lessard started the first farm to school salad bar program at Dragon Lake Elementary School.  What followed was a network of programs under the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) coordinated and championed by Joanne Bays, first in BC’s Northern and Interior Health regions and, eventually, the province. Meanwhile, similar interest and programs designed to connect students to healthy, local food at school were emerging in other regions across the country and in 2008 national conversations between enthusiasts began to happen, with an interest in exploring how folks could work together on a coordinated Canada-wide movement.

This effort was further inspired by the momentum building south of the border. The National Farm to School Network was hosting bi-annual conferences to convene individuals and organizations with a shared interest in helping children and youth to better understand how the health of people, the planet and local economies are all connected through food. In 2009, delegates from BC and across Canada began to regularly gather at these conferences to share ideas, inspiration, challenges, and successes. Relationships were built, opportunities for collaboration soon followed, and Canada’s coordinated farm to school movement took root.  

Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) was formed in 2011 as a national network of many of these early champions. Today, it is a partnership-based registered Canadian Charity and serves as a go-to resource for educators, partners and funders who are transforming food systems in schools across Canada. 

The timeline below shares some of the key events and factors to date that facilitated the evolution of F2CC as an organization and have also been instrumental in the growth of Canada’s farm to school movement. To our knowledge this history has not been previously documented.

This timeline has been created with input from contributors to the farm to school movement in Canada. We know that, for years, countless people and organizations have been championing student access to healthy, culturally appropriate, sustainable food as well as food literacy in schools. If you have questions, a suggested edit or addition to the timeline please contact us at  info@farmtocafeteriacanada.ca 

A very special thank you to the participants at F2CC’s foundational meetings in 2011 and 2012 that informed F2CC’s original vision and mission, many of whom continue to be collaborators to this day. In no particular order they are (listed with their affiliations at the time): 

• Roxana Atkinson, New Brunswick Food Security Action Network; University of New Brunswick, NB
• Joanne Bays, Public Health Association of  British Columbia, BC
• Caitlin Colson, Meal Exchange
• Karen Archibald, Child Hunger Education Project, SK
• Paul Chorney, Food Matters Manitoba; MB; Manitoba Food Research Alliance, MB
• Scott Graham, Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia, BC
• Dana Lahey, Sierra Youth Coalition, ON
• Don Mills, Local Food Plus and the National Farmers Union, ON
• Dr. Mary McKenna, University of New Brunswick, NB
• Ravenna Nuaimy-Barker, Sustain Ontario, ON
• Isabelle St Germaine, Equiterre, QC
• Murielle Vrins, Équiterre, QC
• Catherine White, Alberta Health Services, AB
• Brendan Wylie-Toal, My Sustainable Canada; Canadian Coalition For Green Healthcare, ON