Blue state politicians don’t just complain about inflation in food prices. They are doing something about the problem. Can the same be said of red states?
As the text below is taken from a public web site, and is therefore not subject to copyright restrictions, I have quoted from that web site at length.
Farm to School
Introduction:
(Office of Governor Gavin Newsome)
As a mother of four and co-chair of the California Farm to School Working Group, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom is committed to advancing farm to school programs and extending their benefits to more children throughout the state.
Why Farm to School?
Today, over 2 million children in California do not have access to healthy, whole foods, with Black and Latinx children reporting food insecurity twice that of children in white households. We know that schools are key sources of food for children — approximately 3.9 million California students were eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch during the 2019-2020 school year. Given California’s recent investment in universal school meals and its unparalleled agricultural production, the state is uniquely positioned to build a healthier, more equitable future through innovative farm to school programs, which help:
• Increase food access and nutrition security.
• Support local food purchasing from California producers.
• Promote educational activities that use food as a teaching tool to connect classrooms, cafeterias, and communities.
• Create experiential learning opportunities in school gardens, culinary classes, agricultural programs, and other hands-on learning experiences to help youth better understand the connections between food and the world around them.
• Educate students about how they can be environmental stewards from the earliest of ages.
Planting the Seed
Building on her commitment to ensuring California children have the best start in life, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced the release of a new report, Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap for Success, in February 2022. The report highlights policy goals to advance child well-being, economic growth, environmental resilience, and racial equity through farm to school systems that connect children to locally sourced, whole foods and produce in cafeterias, classrooms, and gardens. The report and its recommendations are the result of a collaboration — led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross — among a number of state agency leaders, education professionals, and farm to school experts and practitioners. Read the full report here!
The Benefits of Farm to School
Healthy kids and vibrant communities start with farm-fresh, nutritious meals. Through farm to school programs, schools purchase food from local farms, offer students food education, and deliver hands-on learning opportunities that support students’ academic achievement, health, and wellbeing. Research shows that:
• Students who participate in farm to school programs see improvement in their grades and test scores.
• By purchasing from local farms, schools with farm to school programs also support local farmers and economies.
• Children who participate in farm to school programs have a lower risk of childhood obesity and diet-related diseases like diabetes.
California Investments in Farm to School
Under the leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, farm to school received its first permanent state funding in the Governor’s 2019-2020 budget, including $1.5 million in baseline support for the California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) and $8.5 million to pilot a farm to school grant program.
In the first year of funding, CDFA-F2F hired staff to lead the California Farm to School Network, hosted the inaugural California Farm to School Conference, funded 60 farm to school projects throughout the state through the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, and organized a working group led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and CDFA Secretary Karen Ross to define the future of farm to school.
Building on this success, Governor Newsom and the California State Legislature allocated $60 million over two years in the 2021-2022 state budget to sustain and expand the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, signaling widespread consensus for this important initiative.
Farm to School Grants
The CDFA-F2F California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program supports local and regional farm to school projects that promote nutrition education, sustainable food production and procurement, and high-quality student engagement through experiential learning.
Read more here:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/cafarm2school/
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill