Carl Motsenbocker

It is a pleasure to introduce the spring edition of Louisiana Agriculture focused on Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program and our local food systems efforts. The LSU AgCenter is directly supporting a more resilient local and regional food system throughout the state and improving access to locally sourced nutritious food. The AgCenter is also increasing food literacy and the appreciation for food and seasonality while working to provide a living for local farm families. This work is possible through the many dedicated extension personnel in the LSU AgCenter and Southern Ag Center, school nutrition and cafeteria workers, teachers and principals, farmers, nonprofits and all community stakeholders who together strive to enrich the lives of fellow Louisianans.

The Farm to School Program is a relatively new LSU AgCenter program established formally in 2016 with U.S. Department of Agriculture funding from the Louisiana Department of Education. This follows a trend of the national farm to school movement spreading across the country. Farm to school encompasses three aspects of local food systems: growing food at school in gardens, classrooms and/or greenhouses; sourcing local food and incorporating nutritious food into school meals and taste tests; and incorporating agricultural and nutrition-based education into classroom learning in traditional subjects such as science, math, writing and art. Research has shown that farm to school activities such as these increase the willingness to try fruits and vegetables and the consumption of them, as well as enhance academic achievement and increase social and emotional growth among students.

The farm to school movement fills a demand from the public to know where our food comes from and to learn lifelong skills and habits, such as eating healthy and gardening. It also promotes community health and happiness and economic development in our rural and urban communities while supporting small to medium-scale sustainable farms. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the industrial food system with food produced at long distance from markets is not sustainable and we need to reinvigorate our food system to support local and regional food systems. An effort to focus on supporting local farms who grow nutritious, locally produced food is important for many reasons.

Those of us that grew up around agriculture, had gardens or participated in 4-H appreciated the closeness to the land, the seasonality of local food products, knowing where our food comes from, and the local farmers that provided our families’ meals. The “farm to table” and “local food movement” has led to a renewed appreciation of local and regional food systems and the need to work toward shortening our food chain.

As a lifelong gardener, 4H member and son of a regional commercial vegetable extension educator, I learned early the practice, skill and art of gardening. Having a garden and fruit trees and berry brambles for us was a chore at times, but we welcomed the harvest and the home cooked meals. In our home local produce was prized for its fresh flavors, and we learned how to preserve bountiful harvests to enjoy fruits and vegetables throughout the year. My first school garden was four decades ago in northeast Thailand, and I still remember the joy of elementary school children harvesting their own vegetables and consuming them on the school grounds. They even enjoyed the hard work of preparing and planting the beds outside the classroom and were diligent during the hot dry season when school was not in session to water the fruit trees on the school grounds to make sure they survived. Gardening and growing food is a passionate affair and one that deserves to be nurtured and supported, and farm to school programming is often a part of the journey.

There are many that are engaged in farm to school in Louisiana and at the forefront of changing people’s lives. The teacher in the classroom who has a indoor classroom growing system so that their class can fully engage in learning about plants and growth. The school nutrition director who actively seeks local products and modifies recipes in order to provide a fun and wholesome meal in the cafeteria. The farmer who is willing to bring strawberries to a school district so students can participate in a Louisiana Harvest of the Month taste test. The community member that volunteers weekly and assists with the school garden and integrating classroom lessons into farm to school activities. The 4-H agent who uses gardening and seasonality while teaching the importance of eating healthy. All of these are just a few examples of “heroes” with farm to school and local food systems.

Farm to school is an opportunity to benefit the economic, social and educational fabric here in Louisiana. The Seeds to Success: Louisiana Farm to School Program has a great team that continually develops resources to support and implement farm to school programs, providing trainings and consultations, and engages the community while collaborating with local partners to nurture this growing movement. We invite everyone to unite with us to sustain a more resilient food system through education, collaboration and to increase economic opportunity and to build a just equitable food system in Louisiana.

Carl Motsenbocker, is a professor in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences and the executive director, The Seeds to Success: Louisiana Farm to School Program

Carl Motsenbocker is a professor in the LSU AgCenter School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences and the executive director of Seeds to Success: Louisiana Farm to School Program.