Promoting Farm to School in Pennsylvania

S chools in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation are working to provide healthier foods to students and teach them the skills they need to make good decisions about nutrition and health in order to address the growing problem of childhood obesity. As part of these efforts, there is growing interest among schools in Farm to School programs. While a primary objective of Farm to School activities is to connect schools with local farms to promote purchasing of local foods for school meals, a variety of other types of activities fall under the Farm to School umbrella including school gardens, nutrition and agriculture classroom lessons, field trips to local farms, and taste-testing of local products. In addition to providing healthy foods in school meals programs and providing students with health and nutrition education, Farm to School programs support local farmers and therefore strengthen local food systems.

This website is designed to provide you with the tools and information you need to implement various types of Farm to School activities including

1. Incorporating Locally-Grown Foods into School Meals,
2. School Gardens, and
3. Providing Agriculture-Related Nutrition Education.

The website also includes:

• Information about national efforts related to Farm to School
• Links to Pennsylvania groups and associations involved in Farm to School.
• Contact information for individuals who are available to provide assistance to Pennsylvania schools to start Farm to School programs.