Global Search

Throughout the U.S, farm to school initiatives are taking root and thriving at local, regional, and statewide levels. According to the USDA Farm to School Census, during the 2014-2015 school year, over 5,200 school districts comprised of more than 42,000 schools were buying local food and teaching children about agriculture. Many state agencies are at the forefront of this work, leading their state’s farm to school planning and goal setting. Indeed, state agencies such as Departments of Education, Departments of Agriculture, and Departments of Health can play unique roles in establishing and supporting these community food systems efforts. Attached, are a few effective strategies USDA recommends state agencies implement to support farm to school initiatives in their states.