NH Farm to School Policy
One of the levers of change for our farm to school work in New Hampshire is through policy. Our network is dedicated to collaborating in support of state and federal polices that further our farm to school work and values. Browse some of the policies we are currently working on below.
Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement Program
The Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement program is an incentive purchase program for New Hampshire school districts and food service directors. Schools participating in the program that spend $3,600 of their federal school lunch funds on New Hampshire grown food will receive a $1,200 reimbursement from the state.
NH Farm to School advocates, parents, teachers, farmers, and community members believe that through the reimbursement program students will have access to more local and nutritious fruits, vegetables, and other local foods, boosting youth health and wellness, agricultural viability, and specifically:
- Annually injecting $1.8mil federal and state funds directly into New Hampshire’s farm and food economy.
- Educating New Hampshire students about the variety of fruits, vegetables, and other products grown and produced both locally and regionally.
Current legislative status: As of February 2023, the Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement program was tabled in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The NH Farm to School Network will continue advocacy efforts for the bill in the 2024 legislative session.
If you are interested in joining in the advocacy efforts for the Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement program, please contact Stacey Purslow at stacey.purslow@unh.edu
To demonstrate the impact of the bill that will support the Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement program, we created a storybook filled with anecdotes from New Hampshire schools, school food service directors, and other community organizations who source local food for their cafeterias and host farm to school programming for students and children. Read the storybook here >>
For more information about the Local Food for Local Schools Reimbursement program and policy, head to the NOFA-NH website here >>