Farm to School

Contact Information

Nichole Garden
Farm to School Program Specialist
564-999-3566

What is Farm to School?

Farm to School (F2S) connects students, school communities, and local farms with the goal of improving student nutrition and academic outcomes, as well as strengthening local food systems, economies, and communities. 

F2S goes beyond serving local food in the cafeteria. F2S is the inclusion of one or more of the three Farm to School core activities: nutrition and agricultural education, school gardens, and local food purchasing. Farm to School programs that are integrated across the cafeteria, classroom, and community create an environment where students develop positive relationships with food and nutrition.

Vermont FEED developed what they call the "3 Cs" approach which has proven to be a successful model of change, integrating efforts in the cafeteria, the classroom, and the community to achieve robust and sustainable F2S programs.

Cafeteria- Serving local or regionally produced foods.
The school cafeteria is a powerful educational environment that connects with every student. It is a classroom where awareness of our food system and proper nutrition can be learned. By purchasing and serving locally farmed, seasonal foods, schools not only feed their students healthy and fresh meals, but also support the local food economy.

Classroom- Conducting hands-on, food related learning activities.
F2S education can provide a framework for relevant, place-based learning across all disciplines – science, math, art, language arts, and social studies. Engaging students in hands-on projects in a school or community garden combined with taste tests of recipes featuring local foods, nutrition lessons and culinary cooking classes help introduce students to new foods and empower students to make healthy food choices that last a lifetime.

Community- Creating rich opportunities for relevant, place-based learning.
Making F2S connections within the broader community can provide opportunities outside of school for place-based learning and garners community support for school initiatives. Youth have opportunities to learn about how their food is produced and farmers build relationships with schools to expand into new wholesale markets and boost the local economy. Community dinners, service-learning projects, and harvest festivals are great ways to involve parents, families, and the whole community in building a food culture committed to healthy and sustainable food choices.

Resources

Harvest of the Month​​​​​
Garden to Cafeteria
Food Safety
  • Coming Soon!
Farm to School Policies and Regulations
Funding Opportunities
Toolkits and Guides
Trainings
  • Coming Soon!
Local Procurement/Purchasing
Promotional Tools
Farm to School Partner

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.