Welcome
Cornell Farm to School Program
Creating Links between Farms and Schools for Healthy Kids and Healthy Farms in New York
The Cornell Farm to School Program is supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension and based in the Division of Nutritional Sciences in both the College of Human Ecology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Program staff conduct research and share information designed to help extension educators and other community leaders to develop, sustain, and expand connections between New York farms and cafeterias in schools, universities and other institutions.
Program strategies engage stakeholders in addressing converging issues: child and adolescent health, diet and school meal quality, and the sustainability of the food and agriculture system.
Program Background
The Cornell Farm to School Program was established in 2002 with funding from the USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems, and further developed with support from CCE, Smith/Lever and Hatch funds, and a Profession Development Program grant from Northeast Sustainable Agricuture Research and Education (NESARE).
The Motivation
Increasingly, school, college, and institution cafeteria managers are looking at how they can improve the health of each child, student, employee, or customer served by tapping into fresh wholesome locally produced foods. The are also interested in ways to better serve the interests of the community. School food service directors are being asked to lead the charge against childhood obesity.
The food served to our nation's children is coming under increasing scrutiny. Parents are starting to ask why school meals aren't made from more whole, minimally-processed, and locally-grown foods. College students are looking to the dining halls as the best place to create change - in health, in agriculture, and in the entire food system.
Trends in agriculture in the Northeast largely parallel the nation with respect to declining number of farms and acres in agriculture. New York agriculture is diverse and smaller scale relative to other regions. Schools and colleges represent an enormous, largely underutilized market for farms in New York.
The Objective
The primary objective of the Cornell Farm to School Program is that schools, colleges and universities, will increase the use of foods produced on New York farms in their food service. A secondary objective is that students, their parents, and other cafeteria customers will better understand the realities of local food and agriculture systems.
Strategies
The program conducts research, provides educational opportunities, and offers technical assistance to extension educators, nutrition professionals, food service directors, farmers, parents, and students interested in developing farm to school connections. The program website provides on-line resources, relevant links, and policy updates. Regional workshops are used to increase the capacity of extension educators and other community leaders to initiate and evaluate successful farm to school programs. Surveys and interviews provide up-to-date information about farm to school interests, opportunities, challenges and activities across the state. Click here to learn more about our activities and services.
Bottom Line
Despite challenges, Farm to School is increasingly recognized as an effective and integrated approach to addressing several issues simultaneously: child and adolescent health, diet and school meal quality, food and agriculture system awareness and understanding, New York State agricultural market viability, and food and agriculture system entrepreneurship.
Most food service directors who have purchased local foods find the quality, yield, and acceptability superior to produce coming through national distribution channels. Extension educators are community development professionals with expertise in food and agriculture, nutrition, health, and education. With access to research-based information from our nation's Land Grant institutions and well-established regional and community-based partnerships, they are well-positioned to support local stakeholders as they plan, initiate, and evaluate farm to school programs.