Farm to Table in Schools

In October I attended a workshop entitled "Grow Your Own Farm to Table Program," which was hosted by the Headwaters Foundation and held at Rappahannock County High School (about 20 miles from the LFP garden). The day was packed with speakers discussing the challenges and successes of implementing local food programs in Virginia public schools and communities.

Matt Benson contextualized the issue of food in schools in terms of economics and public health. Benson shared that in Virginia, 92% of farmers gross less than $100,000 annually and Virginia schools spend more than $6 million annually on produce--the majority of which is not grown in Virginia. Food in schools matters because many children in America are either hungry, overweight or obese, and malnutrition is widely recognized as a public heath concern. Benson extends the importance of malnutrition and proposes that it is also a national security issue (how does a misfed country defend itself?).

Benson also highlighted the legal framework for food in schools and political initiatives aimed at improving child nutrition. This includes, "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act" and, "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010." Although these proposals invite optimism at first mention, they are limited in scope--for example, one act would increase the reimbursement rate for school meals by 6 cents per meal, which is a step in the right direction ideologically but would not make a discernible difference practically.

Andrea Early, the dietician for Harrisonburg schools, shared her experiences working to bring local foods into her cafeterias. One of her early lessons in reaching out to local farmers and following up with administrators was realizing that "not everyone speaks the same food language." Learning to translate between the dialects of regulations and farms and kitchens and classrooms was crucial. Pinching pennies is also inevitable--Early works with a budget of $2.50 per meal. Only half of this budget is allocated for actual food costs, because half of it is accounted for by labor costs. Early has done an impressive job of creatively introducing local foods into her schools, including stocking the kitchen with locally sourced ground beef and Virginia apples.

After a delicious local lunch, we toured the Farm to Table garden on-site at Rappahannock High School (where some of the veggies we just ate grew). The garden is thriving! It includes several raised beds growing herbs, tomatoes, greens and assorted veggies, two hoop houses, and apple trees.

This workshop instilled in me an appreciation for the relevance of public schools in the local food movement, and I am refreshed by the stellar work of the people I met that day.