West Tennessee workshop connects schools with local farms
JACKSON, Tenn. — The West Tennessee Farm to School Institute held a day-long workshop designed to bring community partners together to support farm-to-school efforts in the state.
Farm-to-School programs connect students to where their food comes from by serving fresh, local foods in school cafeterias, providing hands-on experiences through school gardens and farm visits, and teaching students how to cook.
In Tennessee, approximately 350 school gardens provide food for school nutrition programs, connecting students to their food source.
“When they serve it in the cafeteria, they know what it is. They have the excitement that they helped and then they eat it, and that’s the ultimate goal in nutrition is we want them to eat what we are serving them. We do not want to feed the trash can,” said Lynsey Paul, Farm-to-School specialist.
Benefits extend beyond students
The programs benefit students across the country while also providing financial and educational opportunities for producers. Farmers can sell their products directly to participating schools or to entire districts.
Outside of sales, producers can participate in farm-to-school by creating educational experiences that connect students in their area with local food sources. The learning is worked into regular classes, so learning about food becomes part of everyday lessons, not just something students see at lunch.
Participants gathered at the West Tennessee Agricultural Research Center to learn useful tools for implementing and growing their school’s programs.
Several topics included plants get sick too, Department of Agriculture resources and grants, and an open discussion to tie it all together.
To learn about Farm-to-School or related grants, click here.
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