Farm to School

Farm to school educational efforts often target school-age youth in school settings but can also include audiences involved in the broader food system environment, such as school food service professionals, producers, distributors, school administrators, parents, community partners, and more. Direct education may include hosting farm to school trainings, hosting urban farm business classes, offering cooking classes focused on fresh, seasonal food, conducting student-led taste tests of local recipes, offering workshops on hands-on gardening, and providing education about the food system. A separate toolkit submission is available for the early care and education environment (ages 0-5). (Note: this intervention can also apply to after-school and summer feeding programs).   Settings: Schools, Community-wide, Farmers Markets, Gardens (School/Community) Age/Population Group: Elementary School, Middle School, High School Race: All Ethnicity: All

In each school or community, each farm to school intervention looks different depending on the priorities, values, and agricultural landscape of the community. Farm to school includes 1) Procurement: serving local foods purchased from surrounding farmers, ranchers or fishers in school meals and snacks; 2) Education: creating and promoting curriculum and opportunities for agriculture, food, school gardens, health and/or nutrition education; and 3) Community supports: linking farmers to school districts in online marketplaces, incorporating farm to school into local school wellness policies, building farm to school coalitions, assisting communities in developing Farm to School Action Plans and more.

A number of resources, such as technical assistance materials, training events, and resources created by schools and State Agencies, are available at these national websites Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program: https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-to-school National Farm to School Network: https://www.farmtoschool.org/ The Institute of Child Nutrition: https://theicn.org Child Nutrition Sharing Site:  https://theicn.org/cnss/

Farm to School Drivers  Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers (USDA, 2017) This study focuses on the prevalence of districts serving local food daily and the characteristics of those that do so more versus less frequently. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=82944   Benefits and Outcomes  General  To examine and describe the facets of farm to school efforts nationwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) fielded surveys and collected data from school food authorities (SFAs) in 2013, 2015, and 2019. The 2019 Farm to School Census reached out to all public and private SFAs that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The 2019 Farm to School Census website summarizes findings from the 2019 Census and reports on key national results.  https://farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov/ The Benefits of Farm to School (National Farm to School Network, 2017) This document provides a concise and comprehensive overview of the benefits of farm to school activities. The summary covers outcomes related to economic development, public health, education, environment, and community engagement. https://www.farmtoschool.org/resources-main/the-benefits-of-farm-to-school The 2019 Farm to School Census is part of a larger Comprehensive Review Summary Report of farm to school in the U.S., which also includes a descriptive review of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program, a review of published research on farm to school since 2010, and a set of interviews with school food distributors. These reports are available online: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/farm-school-census-and-comprehensive-review In short, benefits experienced include: Cafeteria  Improvement in early childhood and K-12 eating behaviors, including choosing healthier options in the cafeteria and consuming more fruits and vegetables through farm to school meals and at home (+0.99 to +1.3 servings/day); consuming less unhealthy foods and sodas; reducing screen time; and increasing physical activity (Source: https://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf ) Demonstrated willingness to try new foods and healthier options (in early childhood and K-12 settings) (Source: Research Shows Farm To School Works) Districts that participate in farm to school report greater acceptance and participation in school meal programs.  Community  Studies have shown that the amount spent on local produce ranges from $1.30 to $2.60 of economic activity generated for every $1 spent by schools on local foods (Source: https://www.sdchip.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/State-of-F2S-in-SD-County-2015.pdf ) Farm to school activities help to strengthen the connection and understanding communities have with healthy food and local producers. For every dollar spent on school food, an additional $0.86 is spent in the local economy. (Source: Ecotrust. The Impact of Seven Cents, https://ecotrust.org/media/7-Cents-Report_FINAL_110630.pdf )  Evidence Base: Research-tested

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.   Readiness and Capacity - Short Term (ST) Changes - Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance - Long Term (LT) Population Results (R) Individual ST1 MT1     Environmental Settings ST7 MT5   Sectors of Influence   MT8 LT15

USDA Farm to School Resources: Evaluation: https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-school-resources#Evaluating%20Your%20Efforts Small steps for using the USDA Farm to School Census: https://www.farmtoschool.org/news-and-articles/small-steps-for-using-the-usda-farm-to-school-census Evaluation for Transformation: A Cross-Sectoral Evaluation Framework for Farm to School (2014): https://www.farmtoschool.org/resources-main/evaluation-framework?A=SearchResult&SearchID=824324&ObjectID=4833719&ObjectType=35

State-level Collaboration Promotes Local Foods in School Meals: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/library/materials/montana-harvest-month SNAP-Ed Helps to Strengthen Local Food Systems in Missouri: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/library/success-stories/snap-ed-helps-strengthen-local-food-systems-missouri

Websites: https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-to-school https://www.farmtoschool.org/ https://theicn.org https://theicn.org/cnss/ Contact Person(s): Summer Skillman Program Analyst 703-605-4385 Email: SM.FN.farmtoschool@usda.go v or summer.skillman@usda.gov     *Updated as of October 26, 2023