Pennsylvania Food Education to Increase Consumption of Locally Grown Food

View the project final report

• 2004 annual report
• 2005 annual report

Commodities

• Fruits: melons, apples, berries (other), berries (cranberries), cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, berries (strawberries)
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, garlic, greens (leafy), onions, peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: herbs
• Animal Products: dairy

Practices

• Education and Training: demonstration
• Farm Business Management: marketing management
• Sustainable Communities: urban agriculture, sustainability measures, community development

This 18-month project works to immediately increase sales of locally grown foods in greater Philadelphia area schools, while building interest and support among young people for sustaining agriculture in the region. The project will increase student knowledge about local farming, the food system, food purchasing, nutrition, and diet. It will also build sustainable connections between local farms and urban communities through visits by farmers to schools and visits by students to farms.

The project’s performance targets create new markets for small-and medium-scale growers with diversified operations, contribute to farm profitability, and help to sustain agriculture in the region. Targets include:

1) Forty (40) Philadelphia area farmers will market local fresh produce to at least five (5) area schools for lunch, after school, and summer feeding programs. Sales contracts of an estimated value of $350,000 will be executed between local farmers and the Archdiocese Nutrition Development Services (NDS) to integrate local, fresh produce into the school cafeteria during the school year and summer feeding programs. Contracts are expected to increase annually by 10%.

2) Nine (9) Philadelphia area schools will build sustainable connections with local farms and urban communities, evidenced by 10 student farm tours and 20 farmer visits to schools annually, reaching 700 students.

3) Sixty percent of participants (based on a random sampling) will reach a clear understanding of farming, the food system, food purchasing and marketing, nutrition, and diet from the criterion referenced food and farming lesson packets developed by the project.