Voices from the Field

Spotlight on National Farm to School Network

Stronger Together

More than 30 million children eat school lunch five days a week, 180 days a year—that’s over 5 billion opportunities to improve the health of our nation and our communities by sourcing fresh, local food. The National Farm to School Network connects farmers with local school systems to improve the nutritional quality of school food and teach kids about healthy eating and where food comes from.

Over the years, to save on costs, many school systems moved away from functional kitchens and scratch-cooking, opting instead for pre-packaged meals made off-site and easy convenience foods that could be reheated and served with less labor. As a result, student nutrition suffered and local farmers missed out on a profitable and gratifying market. Farm to School programs started sprouting up across the country in the late 1990s as parents, teachers, and school nutrition directors realized that change was needed to improve school nutrition and engage children in healthy eating.

Farm to School programs continued to gain interest and support throughout the early 2000s. To sustain and build on this momentum, over 30 organizations across the nation gathered in 2005 to explore opportunities for a collaborative national farm to school structure that strengthened and expanded activities in states with existing programs and assisted others that did not yet have programs. Out of this planning process, the National Farm to School Network was born in 2007. Today the nationally recognized program has grown from fewer than ten programs in 1997 to more than 2,000 spanning all 50 states and connecting more than 10,000 schools across the country with local farms and farmers.

The National Farm to School Network doesn’t dictate a list of practices or products for the Farm to School approach; instead it recommends establishing relationships between local foods and school children in any and all ways feasible. Programs vary greatly, with some school systems buying a large percentage of their food locally and others offering seasonal taste tests to introduce kids to new foods and local farmers. Field trips, school gardens and a host of other activities round out the Farm to School experience.

Farm to School programs are based on the premise that students will choose healthier foods, including more fruits and vegetables, if products are fresh, locally grown, and picked at the peak of their flavor and if those choices are reinforced with educational activities.

The National Farm to School Network works with national staff, eight Regional Lead Agencies and 50 State Leads to offer training and technical assistance, networking opportunities, information resources, marketing opportunities, and policy support to strengthen the growing Farm to School movement.

Farm to School programs aim to improve the health of kids, develop new marketing opportunities for farmers, and support the local economy; a win-win-win for children, farmers and communities.