F2S- Frequently Asked Questions
What is farm to school?
Farm to School is a nationwide movement that connects schools and local farms to serve healthy meals in school cafeterias, improve student nutrition and farm or gardening educational opportunities. Currently there are 48 states participating in some type of farm to school program.
Curriculum is redesigned to focus the student’s attention on gardening, food, and nutrition.
The Georgia Organics Farm to School Program is centered around the 4 Cs: Classroom, Cafeteria, Culinary, and Community. These principles are the building blocks for a sustainable farm to school program that features local produce in the cafeteria, as well as thoughtful curriculum connections and community support.
Who is involved in Farm to School programs?
The most successful farm to school programs engage the talents and expertise of all school stakeholders, including school nutrition staff, teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members.
How do farm to school programs contribute to children’s health?
Students involved in comprehensive farm to school programs choose more fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria, and consume more fruits and vegetables through farm to school meals ( +.99 – 1.3 servings/day) and at home. Additionally, students exhibit an interest to try new foods and healthier options.
Check out this national evaluation report of F2S. Furthermore, farm to school programs typically use hands-on experiential learning, which is more effective at improving eating habits than traditional, knowledge based programs (e.g., memorizing the food guide pyramid.)
Is local produce better than produce grown elsewhere?
Locally grown produce intended for a nearby consumer is more likely to be harvested at peak ripeness and brought to the consumer in the shortest time possible. The produce is often of the highest quality--attractive to the eye, with pleasant odor, flavor, texture and feel-- and if handled properly, with high nutritive value. Students are more likely to consume fresh fruits and vegetables when they are of high quality. Get more questions answered from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and further your knowledge here.
Also, locally grown produce supports Georgia’s economy. A recent UGA study found that if Georgia families spent $10 a week on local food, it would generate almost 2 billion for our local economy. Since the Georgia Department of Education is the state’s largest food service provider, imagine the impact if Georgia schools spent 5% on local food.
How do I get the most up-to-date information on farm to school in Georgia? Sign up for our e-newsletter here.
What does services and programs does the Georgia Organics farm to school program offer?
- Provide train-the -trainer workshops to teachers, parents and school cafeteria staff
- Teachers: This comprehensive workshop provides K-5 teachers with easy to replicate lessons that connect food, farm and nutrition to standards in science, math, literature and social studies, as well as a hands-on food activity that your students will love. Time for actual lesson planning and opportunities to receive 1 PLU are available. If you have 12-20 teachers interested in signing up, please contact erin@georgiaorganics.org for scheduling and pricing.
- Parents: This four hour course gives parents a general overview of farm to school, tips on how to be effective advocates, and hands-on activities to replicate with kids. Contact erin@georgiaorganics.org for scheduling and pricing.
- School nutrition: Led by professional chefs in partnership with district nutrition directors, these workshops focus on knife skills, production, efficient preparation of fresh, local produce, and presentation. These workshops are currently targeted only to City Schools of Decatur, Atlanta Public Schools and Jackson County Schools.
• Assist in coordinating the Georgia Farm to School Summit.
• Coordinate farm to school sessions for the Georgia Organics Annual Conference.
• Host networking and educational opportunities for farmers, nutrition directors and distributors.
• Provide you with the most up-to-date farm to school information, events and grants via our
e-newsletter and website.
How can teachers learn more about how to incorporate farm to school into their classroom?
Georgia Organics offers opportunities for teachers. At least once a semester, we offer a full-day, hands-on Farm to School Workshop for Educators.
Contact erin@georgiaorganics.org for more information on our next workshop. We can also schedule workshops for specific districts or regions if you have 10-20 teachers interested. The Georgia Organics Annual Conference is also a great opportunity to learn about programs, lessons, and organics gardens. Check out the sample farm to school curriculum to see how many ways you can connect Georgia standards to farm to school. Also here is curriculum for teaching organic growing methods. Go here to see more teacher resources.
How do I start an edible school garden?
Go here to learn more about starting and sustaining an edible school garden.
Do farm to school programs have to be organic?
Not necessarily. Currently, we are exploring how to get more Georgia produce served in Georgia schools. However, Georgia Organics does strongly promote the growth and consumption of organic foods for both environmental and personal health reasons. A recent study from The Orgainc Center suggests long-term consumption of non-organic foods lowers IQ levels in children.
What is the cost of school lunch?
Schools usually have about $2 to produce lunch, which includes food and all overhead (labor, infrastructure). Many school districts require that school cafeterias operate as a business, meaning that they do not benefit from the local tax dollars that other sectors of the school environment does. For a more detailed overview of the cost of school lunch and food regulations, see this report created by School Food Focus.
Is farm to school expensive?
Schools that offer farm to school meals have observed an increase of 3-16% participation rates, helping to counteract extra costs of fresh, local produce. Often, produce can be cheaper when purchased in season, and is often tastier and more attractive, and thus sells better. Finally, investing in our children’s health now is critical. Georgia spent nearly 2 billion on obesity related health care last year, and over a third of Georgian’s children are currently considered obese. Check out our school nutrition staff page for more information.
What kinds of curriculum does Georgia Organics offer?
Georgia Organics has a high school curriculum for Organic Gardening that you can download and tailor to fit your classroom. We also have a sample farm to school curriculum for K-3rd grade teachers to demonstrate ways to connect farm to school to a variety of disciplines and standards.
We have found so many great curriculums, that it would be very difficult to condense it into just one curriculum for Georgia teachers. See a list of our favorite educator curriculums and children’s gardening books.
Here are some other examples of how teachers have linked farm to school into their own standards in Decatur, Georgia and in Vermont.
If you are a teacher that would to learn more, consider attending one of our upcoming farm to school workshops. Contact erin@georgiaorganics.org to find out when the next one is scheduled.
What are other states doing?
Check out farmtoschool.org to see how other states are implementing farm to school.