Maine Partners

Maine's Farm and Sea to School programming is robust and growing! Schools throughout Maine are adding more local foods to their school meal programs; teachers, FoodCorps service members, and community educators are building and tending school gardens; and agriculture and nutrition education initiatives are supported by a number of programs working with schools, including but not limited to Maine Ag in the Classroom, Maine School Garden Network, and Let’s Go!. The Maine Farm to School Network, created in 2011 by the Maine Farm to School Work Group, supports the rapidly spreading farm to school movement in Maine. Since its inception the Maine Farm to School Network hosts an annual conference during Farm to School Month in October bringing together farm to school practitioners and advocates from across Maine and beyond for a day of learning and networking. Each year the conference moves to a new geographic location to reach more people and highlight each region’s agricultural offerings.

This network knits together a wide diversity of stakeholders including students, teachers, school nutritionists, parents, farmers, and groups who support child nutrition and Maine agriculture. The Maine Farm to School Network is led by a state level coordinator and supported by 8 Public Health District Representatives as well as an advisory group consisting of many of the partners listed above.
The Maine Farm to School Network mission is to build a communication and coordination infrastructure at the school and community level to support farm to school programs throughout Maine.