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.