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Impact

The Impact of Farm to School

Food service directors, farmers, parents, teachers, and distributors, all play a part in making farm to school a success.

Good For Students

Good For Students

Farm to school provides all students access to nutritious, high-quality, local food so they are ready to learn and grow. Farm to school activities enhance classroom education through hands-on learning related to food, health, agriculture and nutrition.

Good for Producers

Good for Producers

Farm to school can serve as a significant financial opportunity for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors and food manufacturers by opening doors to an institutional market worth billions of dollars.

Good for Communities

Good for Communities

Farm to school benefits everyone from students, teachers and administrators to parents and farmers, providing opportunities to build family and community engagement. Buying from local producers and processors creates new jobs and strengthens the local economy.

The State of Farm to School in Massachusetts

  • 68% of MA school districts say they participate in Farm to School activities
  • $10,262,200 has been invested in local food in MA
  • 25% of farmers report increasing production to meet institutional demand.
  • At least 210 school gardens are growing across the Commonwealth
2018 Year in Review

Why Farm to School?

Health

  • Supports the development of healthy eating habits from an early age.
  • Improves the quality of school meals, boosting student consumption and contributing to food security for the whole family

Education

  • Increased consumption of healthy school meals mean kids are ready to learn
  • Opportunities for experiential education that engage all types of learners
  • Fresher and higher quality means it tastes better and kids are more likely to eat it!

Economy

  • Brings money to local farmers, fishermen and food producers
  • Invests federal school meal dollars in our local economy
  • Increases student meal participation, supporting financially healthy school meal programs

Environment

  • Keeps local land in farming and may reduce transportation meaning less greenhouse gas emissions
  • Reduces food waste on the farm and at school

Research on the benefits of farm to school continues to grow.

Dig Into the Data

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Contact Us
Massachusetts Farm to School (fiscally sponsored by Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE))
PO Box 213
Beverly, MA 01915

Phone: (413) 253-3844

Email: info@massfarmtoschool.org