How Farm to School Supports Climate Action

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Author: Sustain Ontario

Posted: March 15, 2022

Categories: Edible Education Network / GoodFoodBites / School Food News / Schools

Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) has published a recent blog post on the role that school food programs can play in climate action.

As we already know from F2CC’s research, the Farm to School Approach can support public health, education, community economic development, community connectedness, and the environment.

And, as the blog post points out, these outcomes do not operate in silos. When we support the health of students through intentional decisions—whether that be through food procurement or curriculum design—we can better support the health of people and planet all at once.

The blog post goes on to offer evidence and examples of how farm to school programs support healthy environments through…

  • the way we eat (e.g. food purchasing decisions at schools)
  • the way we think (e.g. growing eco-conscious attitudes in the classroom)
  • and, the way we act (green attitudes lead to green choices! e.g. gardening, composting, and/or being mindful of food waste)

“From the way we purchase and grow food, to what we consume, how we manage waste, and, more broadly speaking, how we think about our place in the world around us, schools have a role to play in every step of the way, and we think farm to school programs can be a star player.”

Read the full blog post here, where you’ll also find a list of useful resources for teachers!

Check out Sustain’s diagram on the potential of school food initiatives, which illustrates the interconnectedness of all these issues, and how school food programs that apply the Farm to School Approach support student health and wellbeing via 1) increased food literacy, 2) increased access to healthy food, and 3) procuring good food in schools, resulting in many impacts relevant to climate health.