Farm food nation?

State law opens way for local farm food into US schools, low-income communities

So far, America’s booming local food movement has largely been limited to the farmers’ market loving middle class. But that’s starting to change. Schoolchildren, food aid recipients and food-bank users are now set to get fruit, vegetables and meat fresh from the farms of Washington, under that north-western state’s new Local Farms-Healthy Kids and Communities Act.

The legislation commits $600,000 a year to provide a "locally grown fruit and vegetable snack program" targeted at elementary schools with high numbers of low-income students. It will also enable schools to buy fresh local food – which is often more expensive - by exempting administrators from previous rules that forced them to accept the lowest bid for meat, dairy products and produce.

Families eligible for food stamps will now be able to use them to buy fresh, nutritious produce at farmers’ markets, thanks to the provision of $50,000 under the new act for 20 payment collection machines that handle balance transfers. Farmers’ markets operating near low income neighbourhoods will get priority in receiving these machines – whose absence has been a major obstacle to serving food stamp families until now. The state government will also provide $350,000 to enable three food banks serving poor households to set up contracts directly with local farmers. And there’ll be new posts in the state agriculture department to oversee the local food programmes, help connect schools, farms and wholesalers, and commission research on ways that farms could collectively distribute their wares to meet demand.

The pioneering scheme won overwhelming bipartisan support and was backed by an unusual coalition of environmentalists and farmers’ associations, anti-poverty, children's welfare and parents’ groups.  It places Washington state at the forefront of growing local and state efforts around the country to get more farm-fresh, locally grown food into schools and other institutions in order to promote good nutrition, preserve land, and cut greenhouse gases. “This is being recognised as the most comprehensive local foods programme in the United States,” Tom Geiger of the Washington Environmental Council told the Kitsap Sun newspaper. “We are already getting calls from around the country.” - Polly Ghazi

21 April 2008

Polly Ghazi