Farm to School connections--through which locally produced foods are served in school, college, and university food services--are helping to fuel the development of new markets for small and mid-size farms in New York while increasing children’s access to local, fresh, wholesome foods. Along with this increase of local food on students’ lunch trays, farm to school provides new opportunities for value-added processing and local and regional food distribution. These efforts are supported through a broad partnership of agencies and organizations, representing schools and universities, farmers, businesses, communities, and government. The Cornell Farm to School Program, a committed member of this partnership, provides leadership in assessing activity, measuring impact, and developing resources.

Two related issues are addressed by this program: 1) child nutrition and well-being; and, 2) agriculture competitiveness and vitality. The recent and dramatic rise in the rate of obesity among adults, children, and adolescents in the U.S. continues. Over 64 percent of the U.S. adults are overweight or obese and 17 percent of children and adolescents are obese (triple the number in the early 1970s). In New York state, overweight two- to four-year olds increased from 13.3 percent to 16.3 percent from 1990 to 2000. While diets rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with lower risk of chronic disease and healthier weight, less than one-quarter of Americans meet the 2005 U.S.D.A. MyPyramid daily recommendations of 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit.
Despite our strong and diversified state agriculture, only a small fraction of the food produced in the state finds its way onto the cafeteria lines in our schools, colleges, and universities. Given the diversity of agriculture in New York, as well as advances in season extension and storage technologies, our farms could supply a significant amount of the food served to our children and college students. The average distance food items travel from farm to fork in the United States has been estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,500 miles. Supplying more of our school food needs from local sources may help alleviate some of the negative environmental impacts stemming from this far-flung food system while providing a much needed stimulus to rural communities.

The Cornell Farm to School Program responds to these issues by: 1) providing technical assistance and educational workshops to extension educators and other community leaders; 2) developing resources in response to stakeholder need; 3) monitoring farm to school activities in New York state through surveys and interviews; and 4) communicating media coverage, policy updates, and New York Farm to School activities on farmtoschool.cce.cornell.edu.
One hundred fifty extension educators and other community leaders participated in one of the following opportunities for capacity development in farm to school: Four regional workshops, five educational conference calls, two experiential tours, and individual consultations. Through these program delivery avenues and resource development and dissemination, extension educators are developing capacity to provide expertise and guidance to schools and community stakeholders interested in farm to school as an approach to improving school meals programs.
A toolkit of resources, “Farm-to-School in the Northeast: Making the Connection for Healthy Kids and Healthy Farms,” was completed and made available online and in print to help stakeholders implementing and sustaining farm to school programs. Development of this resource was made possible through a partnership with the New York School Nutrition Association and NY Farms!

In New York alone, there are over 6,000 K-12 schools and 154 colleges and universities, most of which have some level of on-site food service. The value of reimbursable meals served in public school breakfast and lunch programs combined exceeds 500 million dollars. Farm to school programs can help assure that some of this revenue ends up supporting farmers, processors, and distributors in New York state. Keeping this economic activity in local communities can have a financial multiplier effect.
In schools participating in farm to school programs, food service professionals have experienced less waste and great yield from locally grown produce items. This helps these financially self-supporting units in the schools meet their bottom line. Schools report favorable responses from kids who enjoy fresh, locally produced foods.

Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman