Progress 09/15/00 to 09/30/04
Outputs
Farm to school programs have spread across the US, varying by region, size and location of school districts, local farmer capacity, and school/community engagement. Commonly encountered challenges are distribution, farmer capacity and school implementation costs. Distribution strategies explored include pick up from farmers' markets, a growers' collaborative, foragers, and the Department of Defense Fresh Program. In NJ, farm-direct purchasing was not accomplished due to distribution barriers, difficulty recruiting farmers, and reluctance of food services to undercut year-round suppliers. NJ and NY used established distribution channels to bring local produce into school meals. In NJ, local and minimally-processed, single-serving NJ products were also used. CA sites developed farmers' market salad bars. Purchases of local and in-state products by schools in all the pilot states increased over time. Lunch participation and fruit/vegetable consumption increased as a
result of the program. In 2 districts evaluated, students consumed 100-162% of the USDA daily requirements for fruits/vegetables in school lunches. School district financial impacts varied according to produce, labor and start-up costs. In one district, the food service budget covered the salad bar costs. In another, sales of a la carte items, catering and adult meals helped offset the school lunch deficit. In a third, increased lunch participation generated a profit. Costs should be weighed against benefits of increased lunch participation and fruit/vegetable consumption, and integrating nutrition education with improved meals. The number of programs has expanded greatly. From 6 pilot districts, >400 programs are in stages of planning, implementation or institutionalization nationwide. In all 3 CA sites, the program expanded to all elementary schools district-wide. At least 27 additional CA districts are operating programs and 52 more are being explored. A survey of 370 NY food
service directors shows that nearly 25% purchase directly from farmers; 72% purchase NY foods from a farmer/vendor and >95% are interested in doing so. Analysis of 3 CA pilot districts shows that farmers benefited from participation. For one farmer, ~10% of total and 40% of direct sales were to made schools. A farm to classroom program in L.A. provided ~30% of one farm's annual income. 2003 sales made by 28 growers' collaborative farmers totaled $84,000. Some policy changes have occurred in support of the program. Farm to School provisions included in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act were passed in 2004. Statewide farm to school coalitions exist in 2 pilot states (CA, NY). NY legislation encourages children, schools and families to purchase, consume and learn about local foods. Several districts have local purchasing stipulations within school food/nutrition policies. Training & technical assistance to communities, farmers and schools greatly advanced interest in
programs. 66 presentations and 28 workshops were conducted; an extensive website (www.farmtoschool.org) developed; 8 case studies disseminated; newsletters, articles and op-eds published; and a farm to school manual disseminated.
Impacts
The "Farm to School: Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals" Project has been a powerful catalyst for the establishment of farm to school as a model to address the diet-related health issues of children, while supporting small and medium-scale farmers. Constituencies in at least 14 states have expressed an interest in the establishment of a national network of statewide and regional resource providers to support expansion of regionally and locally appropriate farm to school models.
Publications
- Vallianatos, M., Gottlieb, R., and Haase, M. 2004. Farm-to-School: Strategies for Urban Health, Combating Sprawl, and Establishing a Community Food Systems Approach. Journal of Planning Education and Research. 23: 414-423.
- Harmon, A. (2004). Farm to School: Case Studies and Resources for Success. The Pennsylvania State University.
- Farmer Resource Guide: Managing Risk Through Sales to Educational Institutions. (2004). Community Food Security Coalition and the Center for Food & Justice, UEPI, Occidental College.
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Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/03
Outputs
The project continues to break new ground in the burgeoning farm to school movement. Designed to expand opportunities for small family farmers for sales directly to schools and offer healthy food and fresh from the farm choices as part of the National School Lunch program, outreach and extension has been expanded to school districts, farmers, parents and community groups. Technical assistance and training has been offered to groups and individuals interested in a farm to school program. Data collected from school districts nationally indicate rapid expansion in the number of farm to school programs, with at least 390 districts in 22 states currently purchasing direct from the farm. A number of these programs have been influenced or stimulated by the farm to school work launched through the IFAFS project. Farm to school IFAFS programs in three of the school districts (Ventura, Davis, and Winters, California) expanded to include all schools within each of those
districts, or have immediate plans to do so. Partners in New York have participated in a number of programs designed to increase awareness of locally grown produce, incorporate produce into classrooms, and create policies and market mechanisms that favor local farmers. IFAFS project evaluation has begun to establish benchmarks for use by other projects. An evaluation report of the Davis project provides an analysis of small farm profitability, school nutrition service viability, and student participation. An evaluation report of the Ventura project assesses such components as program effectiveness and financial viability. Presentations at conferences have reached over 2,000 farmers, school food service directors, and other interested constituencies nationally. Information disseminated includes lessons learned, current research, and training & technical assistance resources. Two regional farm to school conferences were held in California, a New York state-wide farm to school
conference, and the first-ever national Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Washington State. The project has helped to launch and expand farm-to-school pilot programs across the country through workshops, technical assistance, and dissemination of publications. Over 110 farmers in six states have been reached through 30 workshops and conferences. A 38 page How To Organize A Farm to School Project packet has been distributed to over 100 organizers in 23 states. A financial analysis of the Davis Joint Unified School District project has been completed and, along with other school districts' experiences, has been presented at two conferences in California, specifically targeted at Food Service Directors, that informed over 180 people about organizing and operating a farm to school project. Surveys of constituencies in California and Massachusetts indicate potential for direct sales to other institutions such as hospitals. The Center for Food and Justice piloted a successful CSA in the
Classroom project, that involved 990 low-income classrooms in Los Angeles Unified School District in an educational program incorporating CSA boxes of fresh, locally grown produce.
Impacts
The IFAFS partnership has been instrumental in generating diverse action through projects that serve farmers by expanding marketing opportunities into educational institutions. Furthermore, as students are exposed to fresh, seasonal, local produce, they are gaining the opportunity to establish lifelong health-promoting eating habits. The collaboration created through this grant will serve farmers and other constituencies. Potentially long-lasting changes to the food system in the form of direct relationships between farmers, schools and other institutions will profit local farmers, increase the quality of produce in participating institutions, and increase the potential for establishing healthful eating practices. Health, food, agricultural, and educational organizations are increasingly including farm to school issues in their work and goals, which will serve to solidify and support the benefits of farm to school. The data, publications, and expertise generated
during the first three years of this pioneering project will continue to serve the mission of the USDA long into the future. The long term impact is expected to create new marketing opportunities for farmers throughout the United States, increase the long-term demand for domestically-raised farm products, and increase the health potential of thousands of students.
Publications
- FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR'S GUIDE TO FARM TO SCHOOL: A 73 page handbook that serves as a thorough introduction and how-to guide on how farm to school projects fit into the food system. Along with historical, dietary, and agricultural information, this book offers useful resources and case studies of successful projects, in a style this is easily understood by the food service professional. The guide was developed by Alison Harmon at the Pennsylvania State University, and published in 2003.
- KID'S COOK FARM FRESH FOOD: A 247 page spiral-bound activity guide for students (grades 2-7), designed to introduce students and teachers to fresh, seasonal, locally grown produce. The guide includes seasonal recipes, activities & farm profiles that teach ecological responsibility; as well as a matrix displaying classroom activities that support specific academic content standards in math, English-language arts, science, and history-social science. The guide was developed by the California Department of Education under this IFAFS grant and published in 2003.
- FRESH FROM THE FARM . . . AND INTO THE CLASSROOM: A 15 page report on the innovative CSA in the Classroom program piloted by the Center for Food & Justice. This program delivered boxes of fresh produce from a local farm to 990 classrooms at 41 low-income Los Angeles Unified School District school sites. This Report was developed and published by the Center for Food & Justice in 2003.
- THE CRUNCH LUNCH MANUAL: A case study and fiscal analysis model of the Davis Joint Unified School District Farmers Market Salad Bar Program in Davis, California. The manual includes generalized lessons and considerations for other districts, a fiscal analysis model that addresses many financial issues and parameters necessary to evaluate the feasibility of the model and a list of resources for farm to school efforts. The evaluation was conducted and the report written by UC SAREP in March 2003.
- JUANAMARIA HEALTHY SCHOOLS PROJECT FINAL EVALUATION REPORT: A report detailing the effectiveness and financial and implementation issues of the Healthy Schools project of the Ventura Healthy Schools Project. The report includes assessments of the implementation of the program components (classroom and garden-enhanced nutrition education, and farm-fresh salad bar), the effectiveness of the components in impacting knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and the practical and financial viability of the salad bar. The report was published in February 2003 by the Ventura Superintendent of Schools.
- HEALTH SCHOOL FOOD POLICY CHECKLIST: A working paper organized as a compilation of existing or proposed cafeteria, school, district, state, and federal policies designed to improve child nutrition by increasing opportunities for students to access healthy foods and limiting the availability of less healthy foods on school campuses. The paper was researched and written by the Center for Food & Justice, Urban and Environmental Policy Institute in 2002 and is updated twice annually.
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Progress 10/01/01 to 09/30/02
Outputs
The "Farm to School-Improving Small Farm Viability and School Meals" is a project designed to encourage small and family farmers to sell fresh produce directly to local schools, and equally to facilitate the purchase by food service directors directly from local farmers. FINDINGS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS 1) Progress has been made in identifying obstacles to these goals, and testing possible solutions . . . clearly there are cases where farmers cannot afford to sell alone but cooperatives or associations can benefit their members by carrying produce for many growers 2) A Curricula and recipe book called "Kids Cook" has been produced and is being distributed 3) Healthy School Food Policies Checklist has been created to give schools, districts, and states a variety of examples of policy language that encourage farm to school connections 4) An informational packet is being made available to interested parties throughout the US 5) A how-to guide about farm to school projects
aimed specifically at School Food Service Directors is in its third draft
Impacts
This project will highlight the successful methods that foster farm to school connections, and identify challenges for projects throughout the US (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and California), and evaluate some possible responses to the challenges that have been identified.
Publications
- Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food (219 pages) California Department of Education , Sacramento 2002
- Healthy School Food Policies Checklist Mark Vallianatos, 2002
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