Farm to Table in Portland Public Schools
The phrase “farm-to-school” has been in use for more than a decade. Farm-to-school programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local farmers. At first blush, you’d think the phrase meant bringing fresh products from farms to schools. Early efforts do routinely involve trying to bring more fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms into schools. But farm-to-school efforts are not limited to fresh fruits and vegetables. Increasingly advocates are focused on “center of the plate” items so as to incorporate more regionally sourced items into the main meal. School gardens represent another very important aspect of farm-to-school programs. The child who has planted, tended, harvested, and then eaten kale in the school garden is much more likely to consume kale in the school cafeteria. Portland’s efforts to incorporate these programs have gained momentum at an impressive rate. In 2005, Portland Public Schools Nutrition Services (PPSNS) partnered with chef/garden educator Linda Colwell to begin a pilot farm-to-school program at Abernethy Elementary in Southeast Portland, which continues today. It includes a cafeteria component, where meals are cooked on site; the outdoor Garden of Wonders; and curriculum integration that weaves garden and nutrition-based themes into history, culture, math, and many other subjects at the school. Today, children in Portland tend garden plots on school grounds at roughly 46 schools. City students are gardening and farming at remote locations as well. For example, Learning Gardens Lab, an 11-acre parcel of public land managed by Portland State University, serves as a learning laboratory for students at Lane Middle School and others. And middle school students from Sunnyside and Lewis, two southeast Portland schools, get to visit and work on Jean’s Farm. Jean’s Farm is situated on an idyllic acre adjacent to the banks of Johnson Creek, on property that was once owned by Jean Johnson’s grandfather, the man for whom Johnson Creek is named. Additionally, field trips to farms and/or hands-on educational experiences are provided by numerous organizations. Interest in learning on farms is on the rise, with local programs growing to meet demand every year. At Friends of Zenger Farm, for example, the number of youth visits has doubled in the last three years, with the nonprofit currently hosting more than 3,000 youth visits each year and working with more than sixty schools and youth organizations. During the 2008 mid-term session, the Oregon State Legislature passed HB3601A, creating a full time Farm-to-School position within the Oregon Department of Education, making Oregon the first state in the nation to have a farm-to-school focus within its Department of Education and Department of Agriculture. In gardens across America teachers are conducting history, culture, math, science, business, and language lessons. There is almost no subject that can’t be taught in the garden. Efforts in Portland’s gardens have set the stage for creating life-long healthy eaters in our community. |
