By Scott Nicholson

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Imagine children putting down their books and going outside to the garden, picking their lunch, and taking it to the cafeteria.

About two dozen people from across the region gathered Tuesday to learn more about getting local produce into schools and connecting children with farms and gardens.

Emily Jackson of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project said ASAP has been working on all the pieces of “Farm to School” except getting the products directly into the schools. She said local school systems have to work on getting local foods in school cafeterias, while the organization works on raising awareness of the issue. The organization, based in Asheville, also distributes a local food guide.

Four child nutritionists from area school systems were in attendance, as well as educators, students and those working with growers’ groups. Jackson said local produce sales helped people keep their land, keep money in the community, and made the food supply system more secure. She cited the recent scare over e.coli bacteria in spinach as an example where it was difficult to track the food because of a massive food distribution system.

“We’re trying to rebuild the local food system,” Jackson said. She said using local crops in school used to be the norm, before the rise of large-scale commercial farming and the national distribution system.

Advantages of Farm to School, according to ASAP, children get the freshest food possible, food dollars stay in the community, farmers have new markets and children learn where their food comes from. Jackson said she couldn’t claim local foods were more nutritious, because there were a number of factors involved, but the produce would be fresher.

Jackson said 400 school districts in 22 states were operating local-food programs. They face challenges that include budgets and lack of products at certain times of year. Jackson said the major issue was school food money is a separate fund from school operations, viewed as a business that turns a profit. Money raised through meals they served and federal funds for free or reduced-priced lunches go to pay for kitchen staff, equipment, and food, with extra profits often going to the local school system. Jackson said she seeks to change the outlook away from a business focus and onto the well being of the children. “These people are about feeding our children,’ she said.

Jackson said other challenges include lack of awareness of local growers, less convenience when using many suppliers, lack of staff to prepare large amounts of produce and payment or delivery arrangements. She said school cafeterias often lack storage space for foods, which might limit their supply options.

Jackson said Farm to School started when one school was unable to get lettuce, and found a local grower had some available. ASAP received a grant for a school garden, saying if children grow crops, they will eat it and get excited about and often talked their parents into starting a home garden. “It’s a great way to build enthusiasm and support,” she said. “Then they go home and talk about it.”

ASAP then started focusing on the effort to spread awareness so school boards and county commissioners would support it. Programs are supported by conservation efforts and health and wellness groups, including ones raising awareness of childhood obesity. Jackson said growers should not just focus on schools, but any local institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, summer camps and colleges.

ASAP’s Molly Nicholie said instead of creating work for teachers, their Growing Minds program helped integrate school gardens into the curriculum and relate it to other subjects. It also teaches character education and responsibility, and builds school pride because all the students are interested in the success of the garden. A number of children’s books are available on gardening, as well as curriculum suggestions and school projects for those who don’t want to start a garden.

Jackson said Henderson County was the seventh-largest apple-producing county in the country, yet not all apples served in the state’s schools were from North Carolina. She said apples kept well so it was a good crop to start with as a Farm to School effort. Farm field trips are also educational, reconnecting kids to the people who grow food, and cooking classes also provide another link between the garden and the table.

“The younger you get them, you more you impact them and their eating behaviors,” she said, making the association with local and healthy foods. She said school gardens were primarily to give positive experiences, and teachers can develop lesson plans around those experiences.

“If parents want to see something happen, a lot of times school systems will pay attention to them,” Jackson said. “If you want children to eat better, you’ve got to start with yourself.”

Several school nutritionists in the region who are using Farm to School programs said lunchrooms are essentially run like restaurants, with lunch money expected to pay for operating costs. With a mandated salary increase for state employees, that cuts into the available money for food and equipment.

The workshop was held at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone and hosted by ASAP and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.