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Volume 10, Issue 4, December 2023
Special Edition – Congratulations to the FY 2024 Farm to School Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement Awardees
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The three funding tracks offered through this cooperative agreement – Supporting Producer Engagement, Supporting Community Engagement, and Supporting Tribal Engagement – align with USDA’s priorities of Food System Transformation, Improving Child Health through Nutritious School Meals, and Indigenous Food Sovereignty. The projects awarded under each track will expand farm to school activity at the national and regional levels.
Each of the five FNS-awarded projects are for a three-year period and encompass a broad range of activities. Under the Supporting Producer Engagement track, the funded project will strengthen local producers’ engagement in the child nutrition market. The Supporting Community Engagement track will expand farm to school institutes, a proven model for developing robust farm to school programs, through three funded projects. Finally, a project under the Supporting Tribal Engagement track will gather input on how USDA’s farm to school work can adapt to better support Tribal food sovereignty efforts. These projects illustrate USDA's commitment to meaningfully support sustained farm to school activity.
Learn more about the organizations leading projects under each track:
Supporting Producer Engagement Track
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National Center for Appropriate Technology ($990,712) – National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will collaborate with producer organizations to expand producer-focused training and technical assistance using NCAT’s widely adaptable Bringing the Farm to School curriculum, which helps local producers engage in the child nutrition programs market. Project activities include developing a best practice manual and resources for creating impactful events that connect producers and school buyers, hosting connector events across the nation, providing technical assistance to producers as they prepare to sell to schools, and training State agencies, producer organizations, and farm to school teams on how to plan and implement connector events using the program’s tools and resources.
Supporting Community Engagement Track
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Association of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors ($500,000) – The Association of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (Association of State Public Health Nutritionists) will administer the first Farm to Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Institute and Learning Collaborative, in cooperation with the USDA. Ten or more State-focused farm to preschool coalitions will participate in this enriching multi-year program, which includes an in-person and virtual summit, technical assistance, networking, virtual learning opportunities, and implementation materials.
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Shelburne Farms ($498,997) – This project will support the continued adaptation of the Vermont FEED Farm to School Institute Adaption Program by the Shelburne Farms’ Institute for Sustainable Schools. The project will train 12 State agency farm to school teams to deliver farm to school institutes to school teams in their States, and will also provide ongoing support to State agency teams that have graduated from the Farm to School Institute in previous years. It will substantially increase the capacity of participating State teams to provide impactful farm to school professional development that creates whole school change and improves students’ access to local food and food systems education.
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The Tides Center ($499,699) – The National Farm to School Network (NFSN), a project of The Tides Center working to increase access to local food and nutrition education, will launch The Fundamentals of Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute project. The project will create a training program and associated resources designed specifically for people supporting farm to school in agency and institutional settings (e.g., State agencies, State networks, Agriculture extension offices, etc.) who provide technical assistance at the community level. The curriculum will focus on topics like farm to school and ECE basics, local procurement, working with agricultural producers, network building, communications, and community and cultural competency. NFSN will also offer one-on-one coaching to supplement the curriculum.
Supporting Tribal Engagement Track
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Intertribal Agriculture Council ($499,999) – The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), which has relationships with Native communities and youth throughout the country, will launch a three-year project to foster crucial dialogues with American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) youth, their parents or guardians, and Native producers. A goal of these dialogues is to better understand how farm to school programs can support Tribal food sovereignty. IAC will share findings from the dialogues with the USDA and AI/AN communities, who can use the collected knowledge to empower youth, communities, and Native producers to connect the school food environment and Indigenous foodways.
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“Supporting nonprofit entities and Indian Tribal Organizations to expand farm to school activities through these cooperative agreements is one of the many ways USDA is transforming our nation’s food system. In partnership with USDA, cooperators will expand our technical assistance into priority areas and communities, strengthen local agricultural economies and provide more nutritious options to the children in our nation’s schools,” said Melissa Rothstein, USDA’s FNS Deputy Administrator of Child Nutrition Programs. “We are excited to follow along and see the future successes of these innovative projects.”
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USDA Farm to School Census
We are excited to share that 46% of all School Food Authorities (SFAs) have completed the USDA Farm to School Census (Census)! But, we still need your help to reach the goal of 80% of SFAs submitting! This is your chance to share the farm to school activities your SFA conducted over the 2022-2023 school year. This information is vital to help schools, partners, advocates, and producers understand the role of farm to school in supporting resilient local food systems and contributing to positive student experiences at school. If you’ve already completed the Census, thank you! Visit our 2023 Farm to School Census Resources page for easy-to-use resources like a checklist for success, sample survey, and FAQ document.
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Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2024 Request for Application Open
There’s still time to apply for the USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program! USDA expects to award approximately $12 million in grant awards for projects that support farm to school activities like training, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, and incorporating local foods in child nutrition program meals. Visit the Resources for Farm to School Grant Program Applicants webpage for more information. Applications are due via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm ET on Friday, January 12, 2024.
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