Posted January 9, 2014
An updated National Farm to School Network (NFSN) survey shows in 2012 and 2013, twenty states passed farm to school related legislation and seventeen other states introduced legislation, according to an article by PRWEB available here.
The State Farm to School Legislative Survey 2002-2013, available here, was prepared by researchers at Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. The survey provides a summary of each farm to school related bill proposed since 2002. The survey also provides charts categorizing bills by type and showing themes and differences in state approaches.
Farm to school “is the practice of sourcing local food for schools or preschools, as well as providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities. Interactive, hands-on experiences are integral to farm to school programs and may include school gardens, farm field trips and cooking lessons.”
Helen Dombalis, policy and strategic partnership director for NFSN said, “What we see in the legislation is increasing dynamism and synergy between state governments and local food movements, connecting education and agriculture sectors in mutually beneficial partnerships while improving the quality of food available to our children.”
For more information on local food systems, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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