Farm to School

What is Farm to School?

Farm to School programs aim to bring fresh, locally grown food into school cafeterias. But there’s more to it than that: making Farm to School meaningful to students, and using local foods to encourage healthy eating, requires education and outreach to build school and community awareness of local food production.  Farm to School programs build connections between school communities and local producers to provide education and access to healthy, local foods through the school cafeteria, school gardens, nutrition education, cooking in the classroom, farm field trips, and connections to local farmers’ markets.  Through Farm to School outreach, schools and preschools are given the opportunity to change food purchasing and feeding practices, as well as nutrition education.

i

Nutrition Education

Role Modeling

l

Student Engagement

Family Engagement

Learn More

Resources

Farm to Summer:

Promote and serve locally grown produce, build connections to local agriculture, and engage participants to gardening activities.

Farm to School in Maryland Schools:

  • Farm to School Events:
  • Implementation of Farm to School:
    • Procurement: School food service departments work local producers to purchase and promote local foods in the cafeteria or use for snacks or tastings
    • Education: Nutrition or health-related activities and lessons that tie to agriculture and local food, making local food in the cafeteria more meaningful
    • School Gardens: Hands-on learning activities that provide students with experience and knowledge of where food comes from
    • Farm to School Funding:
    • Getting Started with Farm to School 

School Wellness Policy Information

  • Wellness Policies provide guidelines for schools to create environments that promote healthy behaviors. Learn more about FSNE’s role in school wellness.