A White House Garden's Nice, but How About Funding Farm to School?

Utah did something like this a few years ago (4.00 / 2)

I've been reading Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening series, which no doubt some of LVL's readers are familiar with. He talks about a program several years ago now where the state of Utah put one of his Square Foot Gardens into every elementary school in the state.

This seemed like a good fit to me, Utah being a heavy agrarian state with a cultural bent toward self-reliance and all, but why wouldn't it be as good a fit for an elementary school in Patterson, New Jersey or the south side of Chicago or inner city Los Angeles where the closest the kids get to a farm is probably a petting zoo (if they even get that close)? Give the kids a little responsibility for the food they eat, and serve a few meals in the cafeteria along the way with some of the students' vegetables and fruits. I suspect in many places such a program could be essentially free, with businesses like Home Depot or local farmers' organizations donating seed, soil and supplies and the school furnishing the water.

(By the way this is my first post here, although I've been following your diaries over at Daily Kos when I can find them. Although I'm interested in agricultural policies in the broader sense and the impact of food in my life -- especially as it relates to my health -- I'm getting to the point in my life where I think growing some of my own food would be a good idea, so I'm approaching the subject from that point of view.)


I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 16:41:15 PM UTC

Hmmm . . . . (4.00 / 2)

With his garden, Obama will bring change to the few lucky youngsters from Bancroft Elementary, but what about the rest of the nation?

They already have a garden :)

We do need to get funding to the Farm to School, and we also need to make sure any stupid clauses are taken out so we can use farms beyond big Ag. That pesky "processed" food one about washed and pre-cut snacks comes to mind . . . .

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by: nycstray @ Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 17:07:09 PM UTC

Money's nice... (4.00 / 2)

But symbolism's critical.

People can garden almost anywhere, somehow. But being inspired to, feeling that it's significant, important, meaningful to do so... that's not something that funding can do.

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by: ogre @ Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 19:25:29 PM UTC

But this isn't about gardening (4.00 / 2)

it's about funding the FARM to schools program so all the kids can get healthy food. Symbolism is not going to do that. Feed the kids or cough up the money, that is.

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by: nycstray @ Fri Mar 20, 2009 at 19:53:45 PM UTC

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But symbolism can get people interested. (4.00 / 1)

If Michelle and the White House garden can get more people interested in food, and how important it and its origins are, then presumably there may be more political support for the programs you advocate.  

Funding isn't going to take place unless there is popular political support.  The Obamas recognize that all avenues of teaching about food are important to generate that support.  

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by: DennisP @ Sat Mar 21, 2009 at 00:52:27 AM UTC

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