2018 US National Farm to Early Care and Education Survey The National Farm to School Network, in partnership with Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, launched the 2018 National Farm to Early Care and Education Survey in the spring of 2018. We heard from 2,030 respondents serving 255,257 children in 46 states about current farm to ECE initiatives, including...Read More

Photo: Karim Wadood, a senior, pulls weeds with Abby Wallace, a sophomore, at The George Washington University’s GroW Garden. (Photo by Calla Kessler/The Washington Post) University students root themselves in the larger world On Wednesday afternoon, when the city felt trapped inside a soup cauldron, Yvana Petros, 21, crouched alongside H Street NW and dug her...Read More

Research out of the US is suggesting that school gardens could lead to healthier lifestyles in students. Below are stories on two such studies. We here in Canada are starting to see the same evidence emerge but it’s going to be important to capture this in Canadian schools. Gardens at School Might Boost Availability of Vegetables...Read More

In the summer of 2017, I set out on a road trip from Monterrey, Mexico, to Toronto, Canada, filming a documentary series on North American local food initiatives. During this 4,800-kilometer (3,000-mile) journey, my co-creator and I had the privilege of meeting dozens of farmers, small-business owners, community organizers, and food advocates who shared an...Read More

This is mostly the description on the NFSN’s website: Evaluation for Transformation defines the outcomes that farm to school has the potential to achieve and it offers common language, guidelines and metrics to understand those outcomes for the first time. The framework is organized around four key sectors: public health, community economic development, education and...Read More

This fact sheet offers a research-based overview of the benefits of farm to school and provides a list of sources.  Stated benefits are provided under 5 themes:  (1) Economic Development (Job Creation and Economic Activity; Farmer and Producer Income), (2) Public Health (Student Nutrition Behaviors; Knowledge, Attitudes and Access), (3) Education (Student Engagement and Academic...Read More

National Farm to School Network & Colorado State University | September 29, 2017 Farm to school offers cross-sectoral benefits for children, farmers and communities, however, limited data is available to truly understand the economic impacts of farm to school procurement. Using a survey and case study approach, this report (a collaborative project of the National Farm to...Read More

Image: The purpose of Farm to School Month is to promote the importance of farm to school activities in helping to improve child nutrition, support local economies and connect children and communities with the source of their food.  October is a busy month for both our nation’s farms and our nation’s schools. Farmers are harvesting...Read More

Unanimous support from the Oregon House, Senate and governor has passed a bill that supports local food in schools. House Bill 2038 allocates $4.5 million for schools to continue to buy Oregon-grown and processed foods and to support agriculture- and garden-based education. With 144 school districts participating in the program, here are some ways this...Read More

At institutions throughout New England, dining staff are beginning to look to the sea as another source for local foods. Institutions from across health care, colleges & universities, and K-12 school systems are incorporating locally caught seafood into their meals for a variety of reasons and through a variety of procurement models. FINE set out...Read More