Why F2S?

Why should schools try a Farm2School program?

Provides Educational Opportunities
F2S gives educators the opportunity to teach unique, innovative lessons about the value and importance of nutrition, healthy eating, local foods, agriculture, and the environment.

Encourages Healthy Choices
Case studies of F2S programs suggest that using local fresh foods increases school meal participation and consumption of fruits and vegetables by 25%-84%.

New Menu Options
F2S allows schools to provide students a variety of fruits and vegetables that are not ordinarily served because only certain varieties can be transported long distances. For example, in Nebraska we can get a wide variety of apples during the fall; not just the typical Red Delicious and Mac.

Supports the Community
F2S deepens connections between schools and their communities. By highlighting the roles of their community resources of farmers, ranchers, and related businesses, the students develop a sense of place in their community, while helping preserve family farms and farmland by developing stable, institutional markets for local agricultural products.

Economic Viability
F2S is becoming more economically feasible. The economic viability of buying locally grown food is very important to school food services involved in Farm-to-School efforts; with new bills and legislature going through our government, buying local is becoming more economical.

The Future
F2S supports the health of our students and the health of our planet, because these two things are necessarily interconnected.