 |
|
What we're doing Chef in the Classroom Classroom Snack Program USDA Fruit and Vegetable Program School fundraiser School wellness policies Project history Resources For food service For educators Newsletters Links About our project Our mission & goals Who we are Our funders and supporters Testimonials Get involved! About farm-to-school programs Why buy locally? The national context Events & media coverage Home |
The national context American youth are facing an escalating public-health crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 15% of school-age children (and more than 10% of preschool children) are overweight -- nearly triple the prevalence of two decades ago. Not surprisingly, studies indicate a marked rise in children's prevalence of serious weight-related medical conditions that were once uncommon in children, including type II diabetes and high blood pressure. Unhealthy eating habits -- along with lack of exercise and genetics -- play a major role in this epidemic. U.S. family farms are in similar crisis. Our small and mid-sized farms have been experiencing tremendous economic pressure for several decades. The increasing role of multi-national corporations in controlling both the inputs and the marketing of their commodities jeopardizes the very existence of small, independently owned farming operations. Globalization means that fewer -- yet larger -- operations in the United States control more of the market. The decline of moderate-scale farms providing for their local food systems, as well as the loss in our nation's rural, cultural landscape are also part of this disheartening and unsettling trend. Farm-to-school programs help remedy these problems. By helping school districts buy food from local growers, such programs can substantially increase the nutritional value of children's lunches and teach eating habits dependent on less heavily processed foods. At the same time, such a program helps provide a reliable market for local small and mid-sized farmers. 
Farm-to-school efforts are experiencing a range of success in many school
districts around the country. The programs take many forms, from year-round
farm-fresh
salad
bars in
California -- where schools benefit from a long growing season -- to
exploring minimal processing of fresh products to enhance the efficiency
and availability of local products throughout the school year in the
colder regions.Recognizing the value of farm-to-school programs for children, farmers, and school food services, the federal government has taken steps to encourage schools to purchase fresh food directly from local farmers. For example, the USDA's "Small Farms/School Meals" initiative has helped connect farmers with school districts in several states, including Kentucky, Iowa, Nevada, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, and California. In addition, the USDA may award funding for fledgling farm-to-school projects through several grant programs, including the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFP) and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). Several school districts around the country have successfully developed state, local or school-district food policies that provide legal precedent for school food services purchasing local and sustainably raised food. Most school district food policies have been implemented in California, a state very supportive of farm-to-school and school gardening programs. To view a sample California school district food policy click on http://www.eecom.net/projects_school_examplepolicy.pdf. Such policies provide excellent models for farm-to-school programs that are at earlier stages of development, such as Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch. Other states are likewise beginning to grapple with the need to set legal precedent for more flexible purchasing practices by school food services. Some initiatives have chosen to implement a food policy council at the city or state government level that deal with a wider range of community food security issues, possibly including school food programs. Click here for more information on state food policy councils. For more information on the farm-to-school movement, see our
Resources page. An especially good resource is the
Community Food Security Coalition's farm-to-school
page. |
|
Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch