About National Farm to School Network

National Farm to School Network has a vision of a strong and just food system for all, and we seek deep transformation toward this vision through farm to school – the ways kids eat, grow, and learn about food in schools and early care and education settings.

Farm to school is a win for kids when they eat nourishing food in meals and snacks, participate in hands-on activities and learn about the importance of where our food comes from; a win for farmers when school market opportunities provide reliable and consistent sales and fair pay; and a win for communities when food is grown, distributed, prepared and consumed for the benefit of every community member. But to ensure all communities see the benefit of these wins, our work must be firmly centered in equity.

That’s why in 2020, we launched a new Call to Action: 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. To achieve a racially just food system for all, we must dismantle the inequities that prevent those that grow and produce, aggregate and distribute, supply, sell, prepare, and consume food from holding power in our current food system.

We believe that access to nourishing food is a basic human right. We believe that what we eat should be an affirmation of our culture and our communities. We believe that if we work together to dismantle structural racism and shift power to communities that have been marginalized, exploited, and excluded, a racially just food system is possible for every community. We hope you’ll join us in this work.



Our Mission

National Farm to School Network increases access to local food and nutrition education to improve children’s health, strengthen family farms, and cultivate vibrant communities.

Our Vision

National Farm to School Network envisions a nation in which farm to school programs are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, ensuring the health of all school children, farms, environment, economy and communities.

Our Values

We believe that farm to school activities built on six shared community values – economic and environmental justice, health, racial equity, workers rights, and animal welfare – will move us closer to a just, equitable food system that promotes the health of all school children and benefits producers, workers, educators, and their communities. Read more.

Our Call to Action

In Fall 2020, National Farm to School Network released a Call to Action for ourselves and for our entire food system: 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. This Call to Action is guiding all of our work over the next five years, from policy advocacy to resource design to partnership cultivation. Learn more here.

Our Network

Our network is the heart of our organization. Our structure allows information to move from the local level to the national level and across all states, Washington, D.C. and U.S. Territories.

Both partnership and membership are free!

Partners: Partner organizations build capacity for and support the expansion of farm to school and farm to early care and education efforts in their state, Washington D.C. or U.S. Territory. Based at nonprofit organizations, state agencies, universities and other entities, Partners serve as liaisons for information, resources, needs and opportunities with the National Farm to School Network. They support capacity building and expansion of farm to school and farm to early care and education in every state, Washington D.C. and U.S. Territories. Partners are invited to join a listserv where they can email the entire partners list to network together, ask questions and share resources. Signing an agreement to uphold our Call to Action is required to become a partner.


Network members:
More than 20,000 farm to school practitioners and supporters have joined our network. Members support the mission of the National Farm to School Network by advocating for supportive policies, volunteering in their communities and supporting the organization financially as they are able. Members receive our monthly email newsletter and are the first to hear about special events like the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference.

Growing Stronger, Together

Help us support vibrant communities and empower
children and families to make healthy food choices.

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