farm to school farming presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Farm to School: Local Foods go to SchoolOrganic Farming Conference, La Crosse, WI February 28th, 2009
Farm to School
Local, Farm fresh produce in schools
School Gardens, Composting, Recycling
Nutrition Education / Experiential Learning
Farm tours / Visits by farmers
Outline
HowHow you do Farm to School
WhyWhy we need Farm to School
WhatWhat is Farm to School
WhoWho can implement Farm to School
WhatWhat is Farm to School
Farm to school is a school-based program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of:
serving healthy meals in school cafeterias
improving student nutrition
providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities
supporting small and medium-sized local and regional farmers
Connecting local farmers to schools
buy and feature farm fresh foods
incorporate nutrition-based curriculum
provide students experiential learning opportunities through farm visits, gardening, and recycling programs
access to new markets
WhyWhy we need Farm to School
Why we need farm to school
For our Children
2.3- to 3.3-fold increase in childhood obesity over the last 25 years.
Our children will be the first generation to have a life expectancy shorter than their parents.
1 in 3 children born in 2000 will be diabetic in their lifetime (CDC).
Why we need farm to school
For our Farmers
330 farm operators leave their land every week.
The farmer’s share of every dollar spent on food has dropped to 19 cents from 41 cents in 1950.
In the 1930s, there were close to seven million farms in the United States. Today, just over two million farms remain—less than 1 percent of the country's population.
Why we need farm to school
For our Environment
Crop Varieties lost between 1903-1983Tomatoes: 80.6 percentLettuce: 92.8 percentCorn: 90.8 percentApples: 86.2 percent
In the U.S., the typical food item now travels from 1,500 to 2,400 miles from farm to plate, i.e. A head of CA lettuce shipped to Washington DC requires 36x more fuel energy to transport than the food energy it provides.
Why we need farm to school
Dollars and Sense
Price of feeding one child school lunch during their tenure in k-12 = $6,000
Price of treating one adult for illness related to poor nutrition over the course of their life= $175,000
Farm to School = Priceless
HowHow you do Farm to School
Implementing Farm to School
Local Product used in:– salad bars – hot entrees / other meal items– snack in classroom– taste tests– fundraisers
Educational Activities: – chef/farmer in class, cooking demos– greenhouses, waste management, recycling, and
composting– farm tours– harvest of the month– CSA in the classroom– School gardens
Let’s get startedStart small—taste testing, farm tour, apples
Organize various stakeholders/hold a meeting
Contact food service director and school administration
Identify funding sources
Market the program
WhoWho can implement Farm to School
YOUstudents farmers
chefsnon-profit food groups
administrators
farmer organizations
board members
principals
community membersschool food service staff
PTA
teachers
parents
YOU
YOU
YOU
Relationships
Q. What’s the key to sustainability?
This whole thing is about relationships.
Local farmers have two distinct advantages: Procedure - We can get fresh, high quality and safe product to the
institutions in 24 hours after harvest including all the post handling procedures. Relationship- The buyer and the grower have a real, face-to-face
knowledge of one another. We must distinguish our product and ourselves and be unique.
“We are cultivating more than just food here; this is about community, this is
about relationships.”
National Farm to School Network
Networking
Training and Technical Assistance
PolicyInformation Services
Media and Marketing
www.farmtoschool.org
Debra Eschmeyer
419-753-3412
