Why is Farm-to-School Important?
Across the nation, there is growing interest in connecting fresh and local foods with school lunch programs. With childhood obesity, diabetes, and other nutrition-related diseases on the rise, parents and educators want to see children eating more healthy foods. At the same time, small farms are struggling to survive. Farm-to-school programs address both of these community concerns by bringing locally grown foods into school cafeterias. In Whatcom County, there is a groundswell of interest and opportunity. Farm-to-school can help…
- Provide children with more fresh, nutritious foods.
- Improve children’s health.
- Encourage lifelong healthy eating habits.
- Support Washington’s farmers with local markets for their crops.
- Reduce negative environmental impacts including energy use, waste, and climate change pollution by decreasing food packaging, refrigeration, storage, and transportation.
- Help preserve our rural communities.
- Promote awareness of how food choices impact our health, our communities, and the environment.
