Page Contents
Overview
Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) backing for farm to school make farm to school practices the norm in classrooms and cafeterias throughout the year. Policy efforts focus on integrating farm to school supports into organizational statements and positions, such as procurement policies, wellness policies, and resolutions. Systems change include those that make organizational procedures and programs more supportive of farm to school. Examples include hiring farm to school or garden staff, partnering with distributors to carry and label local product, creating a grant program to fund school gardens, and building local or State-wide farm to school coalitions. Environmental changes are observable in your physical or social surroundings. Farm to school environmental supports may include, but are not limited to, local foods promotional and marketing materials, school gardens/farms, and food systems courses and classes.
Target Behavior: Healthy Eating
Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change
Intervention Reach and Adoption
Setting: School
Age: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Race/Ethnicity: All
Intervention Components
Intervention Materials
Intervention Costs
Evidence Summary
- Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers (USDA, 2017) This study focuses on the prevalence of districts serving local food daily and the characteristics of those that do so more versus less frequently. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=82944
Benefits and Outcomes
General
- To examine and describe the facets of farm to school efforts nationwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) fielded surveys and collected data from school food authorities (SFAs) in 2013, 2015, and 2019. The 2019 Farm to School Census reached out to all public and private SFAs that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The 2019 Farm to School Census website summarizes findings from the 2019 Census and reports on key national results. https://farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov/
- The Benefits of Farm to School (National Farm to School Network, 2017) This document provides a concise and comprehensive overview of the benefits of farm to school activities. The summary covers outcomes related to economic development, public health, education, environment, and community engagement. https://www.farmtoschool.org/resources-main/the-benefits-of-farm-to-school
- The 2019 Farm to School Census is part of a larger comprehensive review of farm to school in the U.S., which also includes a descriptive review of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program, a review of published research on farm to school since 2010, and a set of interviews with school food distributors. These reports are available online [Farm to School Census and Comprehensive Review | USDA-FNS].
In short, benefits experienced include:
Cafeteria
- Improvement in early childhood and K-12 eating behaviors, including choosing healthier options in the cafeteria and consuming more fruits and vegetables through farm to school meals and at home (+0.99 to +1.3 servings/day); consuming less unhealthy foods and sodas; reducing screen time; and increasing physical activity (Source: https://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf)
- Demonstrated willingness to try new foods and healthier options (in early childhood and K-12 settings) (Source: Research Shows Farm To School Works (azureedge.us))
- Districts that participate in farm to school report greater acceptance and participation in school meal programs (Source: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/research-shows-farm-school-works)
Classroom
- Enhanced overall academic achievement in K-12 settings; provides children with an understanding of agriculture and the environment; and improvement in life skills, self-esteem, social skills and behavior (Source: Research Shows Farm To School Works (azureedge.us))
- Increase in knowledge and awareness about gardening, agriculture, healthy eating, local foods and seasonality (in early childhood and K-12 settings) ( Source: Research Shows Farm To School Works (azureedge.us))
Community
- Districts that participate in farm to school report increased support from parents and community members (Source: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/research-shows-farm-school-works)
- Studies have shown that the amount spent on local produce ranges from $1.30 to $2.60 of economic activity generated for every $1 spent by schools on local foods (Source: https://www.sdchip.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/State-of-F2S-in-SD-County-2015.pdf)
- Farm to school activities help to strengthen the connection and understanding communities have with healthy food and local producers. For every dollar spent on school food, an additional $0.86 is spent in the local economy. (Source: Ecotrust. The Impact of Seven Cents, https://ecotrust.org/media/7-Cents-Report_FINAL_110630.pdf)
Hungry for more research? Check out these Farm to School related publications!
Classification: Research-tested
Evaluation Indicators
Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST) | Changes – Medium Term (MT) | Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT) | Population Results (R) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Individual | ST1 | MT1 | ||
Environmental Settings | ST7 | MT5 | ||
Sectors of Influence | MT8 | LT15 |
Evaluation Materials
- USDA OCFS Farm to School Resources: Evaluation: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/farm-school-resources#Evaluating%20Your%20Efforts
- Small steps for using the USDA Farm to School Census: https://www.farmtoschool.org/news-and-articles/small-steps-for-using-the-usda-farm-to-school-census
- Evaluation for Transformation: A Cross-Sectoral Evaluation Framework for Farm to School (2014): https://www.farmtoschool.org/resources-main/evaluation-framework?A=SearchResult&SearchID=824324&ObjectID=4833719&ObjectType=35
Success Story
Cafeteria Promotions Enhance Farm to School Efforts:
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/success-stories/cafeteria-promotions-enhance-farm-school-efforts
Additional Information
Contact Person(s):
Summer Skillman
Program Analyst
619-370-0403
Email: farmtoschool@fns.usda.gov or summer.skillman@usda.gov