Advancing Racial and Social Equity in Farm to School

The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is providing leadership for farm to school programs across the nation in advancing racial and social equity in programming, curriculum, policy, and more. NH Farm to School is dedicated to lifting up and implementing the strategies and opportunties NFSN outlines below.

Farm to school is a strategy that provides opportunities to address racial and social disparities in the existing food system. The three core elements of farm to school offer distinct approaches for advancing racial and social equity: (1) Procurement of local foods provides access to healthier school meals to more than 24 million students, and advances income generation and access to land ownership for marginalized food producers; (2) School gardens offer opportunities for students to develop a sense of responsibility and connection to their community, as well as foster engagement and partnership through those connections outside the school setting; and (3) Education about food and farming is a proven approach for elevating the value of local agriculture and lifting up under-represented stakeholders in the food system.

Below are resources for those working in farm to school and school garden programs to incorporate equitable practices.

Racial Equity Learning Lab
The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is excited to partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convene the Racial Equity Learning Lab (the “Lab.”) In 2020, NFSN launched the pilot Lab and co-developed curriculum to advance the understanding of racial equity in farm to school with a 13-person, cross-sector cohort from across the country. Now, in partnership with the USDA, NFSN will build upon the program to deepen the understanding of how racial equity can be integrated with farm to school. Learn more >>

Food Solutions New England’s 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge
Annually, Food Solutions New England hosts its food system-oriented 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge in April.
Thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations join in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world. Learn more >>