In January 2020, American Farmland Trust through Farm to Institution New York State, released the “Growing Opportunity for Farm to School in New York” report, which found that with the right support, this program would incentivize over 70% of schools to spend more of their food dollars on products from New York farms. This sparked policy debates about what that right support should be, which necessitated further research—particularly around how to add other school meals to this program. This subsequent research, conducted by AFT during the summer of 2020, sought to collect new information from schools after year two of the incentive program, including clarifying remaining barriers schools face in purchasing New York food products and reaching 30%, as well as the impact COVID-19 may have on farm to school in New York. The following report presents these findings and encourages action by state and local governments to achieve the full economic and public health potential of this and other farm to school programs in New York to build back better.
Read the Growing Resilience Report
“Growing Resilience” is made possible thanks to support from the New York State Health Foundation, the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, and members of American Farmland Trust.
- Watch Growing Resilience Webinar from Dec. 15, 2020
- Download Growing Resilience Methods
- Download 2020 Farm to School Survey