Farm to Kids
Farm to Kids initiatives connect kids with nutritious, locally-grown foods and support farmers in their communities.
Farm to Kids projects include:
Purchasing, promoting, and serving local foods to kids as a component of a meal or snack in schools or early care settings.
Participating in educational activities related to agriculture, food, health, or nutrition
Engaging kids in hands-on learning through school gardens.
What kind of settings include Farm to Kids activities?
Farm to Kids is part of K–12 schools in many different ways, helping students connect with local food through school meals, gardens, and hands-on learning. It also continues to grow in early care settings like family childcare, Head Start, and center-based programs, bringing the same experiences to younger children.
Farm to Kids is good for kids…
Classmates taste testing farm to school salads in St. Paul.
Good for farmers…
Janssen Hang, executive director of the Hmong American Farmers Association, speaks with USDA members.
And good for communities!
Members of the community joining the Land Stewardship Project and Clean Rivers Partners touring farms in MN.
Why is it so beneficial?
Kids try delicious local foods during a key window of opportunity as they are developing taste preferences and eating habits. Studies show they eat more servings and more varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, laying the groundwork for reducing obesity and diet-related disease and increasing lifelong health.
Participating farmers gain access to a new market to sell their items and benefit from being able to plan ahead and potentially make larger sales than they could at the farmer’s market.
Communities strengthen relationships, and local purchases keep money circulating to support local businesses and neighbors.
It’s a win-win-win.
Farm to Kids is growing in Minnesota!
Join the Farm to Kids Network to connect with others and stay informed about local food and youth education efforts across Minnesota.
Click here to subscribe to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Root Review to receive periodic news and updates.