What is Farm to School?

Across the country, food service providers in schools, colleges, universities and institutions are seeking new ways to improve community health and nutrition, and to interrupt and prevent the trend of childhood obesity. Many cafeterias are turning to fresh, healthy, locally-grown foods as a way to engage students, satisfy nutrition guidelines and forge connections with their greater agricultural community.

Farm to School is a broad term that encompasses a range of activities with the following shared objectives:

• Provide healthy, nutritious meals in school cafeterias
• Improve students' nutrition and food literacy
• Present engaging health and nutrition education
• Support local farmers and producers

Across the country, 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, local agricultural market viability, and food and agriculture system entrepreneurship. Although each school, region or state may participate in different Farm to School activities, the overarching objectives remain the same.