Farm to School

 

Why it matters: Proper nutrition is key to good health. Farm to School and School Garden programs have been shown to increase the nutritional quality of foods served in school and to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables students consume, both in schools and at home. One study showed that students who participated in such programs more than doubled their fruit and vegetable intake, significantly increasing their daily intake of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and fiber¹. This, in turn, will help develop better lifelong eating habits among kids, helping to stave off obesity and other chronic illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer^2,3.

 

How we did it: In 2007, Upstream worked as part of the Farm to School and School Garden Network to advocate for a Farm to School Coordinator position in the Oregon Department of Agriculture to get more Oregon agricultural products into Oregon schools. In 2008 that was followed with the creation of a corresponding coordinating position in the Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program. In the 2009 legislative session, Upstream co-coordinated the coalition’s advocacy effort to fund a statewide Farm to School program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. McAleese JD, Rankin LL: Garden-Based Nutrition Education Affects Fruit and  Vegetable Consumption in Sixth-Grade Adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic  Association 2007, 107(4):662-665.

2. Sandeno C, Wolf G, Drake T, Reicks M. Behavioral strategies to increase fruit and vegetable intake by fourth- through sixth-grade students. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100:828-830.

3. O’Dea J. Children and adolescents’ eating habits and attitudes: Preliminary findings from the national nutrition and physical activity study. NutriDate. 2004; 15:1-4.