About Farm to School
How does Farm to School Contribute to Vibrant Communities?Across Oklahoma, more schools and early care programs are bringing local foods into cafeterias while providing hands-on learning about food, agriculture, and nutrition. Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) programs do more than serve fresh produce—they connect children with healthy food, their communities, and the local economy.
These programs give students real-world experiences that teach where food comes from, promote lifelong healthy eating habits, and strengthen local food systems. From school gardens and taste tests to farm visits and nutrition lessons, children engage with food both inside and outside the classroom.
The Oklahoma Farm to School Program helps schools buy from local producers and supports farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and other food producers—big or small—in building partnerships with schools. Locally grown fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, grains, and other products fuel school meals, snacks, and educational activities.
At the heart of Farm to School are three core components:
Procurement
Local foods are sourced from nearby farms or food hubs, promoted, prepared, and served in school cafeterias, or used for snacks and taste-tests.
Education
Students engage in activities that explore agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.
School Gardens
Hands-on learning experiences allow students to grow their own food and connect with the agricultural process.
When combined, these components create a full-circle approach that deepens students’ understanding of agriculture and nutrition. Across Oklahoma, Farm to School programs are strengthening communities, improving child nutrition, and fostering lasting connections between schools and local food producers.
Farm to School Provides Benefits for Everyone Involved
Kids Win
Farm to school provides all kids access to nutritious, high-quality, local food so they are ready to learn and grow. Farm to school activities enhance classroom education through hands-on learning related to food, health, agriculture, and nutrition.
Farmers Win
Farm to school can serve as a significant financial opportunity for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors, and food manufacturers by opening the doors to an institutional market worth billions of dollars.
Communities Win
Farm to school can serve as a significant financial opportunity for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors, and food manufacturers by opening the doors to an institutional market worth billions of dollars.
The value of Farm to School extends beyond the food on students’ plates. Oklahoma Farm to School is a value-based program that aims to nurture long-term change, creating positive impacts not just for schools and students but for local food systems and the greater community. By incorporating local food purchasing into the school environment, communities are building healthier futures while supporting the economy and environment.
Benefits of Farm to School
The Oklahoma Farm to School Program provides a variety of benefits to students, parents, schools, communities, and farmers. For more in-depth information about the benefits of the Farm to School Program, please refer to the National Farm to School Network Fact Sheet: Benefits of Farm to School
Farm to School Census Data
Explore information on farm to school participation by Oklahoma (OK) school food authorities (SFAs) that responded to the Census and the schools and students they serve. Use the tools below to dig deeper into farm to school in Oklahoma.
State Profile for Oklahoma
Census Responses for Oklahoma
Key Census Findings for Oklahoma
Length of farm to school participation by SFAs in Oklahoma
Farm to school has been picking up momentum over the last 10 years. See how long SFAs in Oklahoma have been going local.
Percent of F2S SFAs
Total F2S SFAs
Less than 3 years
- 66.2%
%
94
3-5 years
- 14.1%
%
20
6-10 years
- 9.2%
%
13
More than 10 years
- 9.2%
%
13
Don’t know
- 1.4%
%
2
675 schools
314,842 students in participating SFAs
Farm to school participation in Oklahoma
Farm to school is growing in Oklahoma! Local food and agricultural education activities are showing up in the cafeteria, the classroom, and the garden. Check out how many schools and students are served by farm to school SFAs.
55.6%
79 SFAs
Oklahoma SFAs serving local food
Farm to school means more fresh, local food is on the menu. Across the country, SFAs engaged in farm to school report serving higher quality foods in school meals and increased participation in school meals.
Child Nutrition Programs in Oklahoma using local food in school year 2018-2019
Nationally, a majority of farm to school SFAs have been serving local food in school meals and snacks. See how many SFAs in Oklahoma are leveraging local foods.