July 21, 2022

This Week in Farm to School 

Farm to school connects local agriculture, schools, and partners to benefit students, educators, farmers, families, and communities.

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Celebrate NC Farm to Summer Week – July 18 - 24!

Celebrate NC Farm to Summer Week July 18-24 by completing the NC Farm to Summer Challenge:

  • Serve local foods as part of summer meals and snacks.
  • Teach about local food, agriculture and nutrition through engaging educational activities.
  • Promote #NCFarmtoSummer activities through social media. Tag @Ray4NCKids, @NCSchoolMeals, and @F2SCoalitionNC.
  • Sign up for the 2022 NC Crunch.

 

The NC Farm to Summer Toolkit, updated for summer 2022, offers ideas and resources to help. The NCDPI, Office of School Nutrition is working on a webinar, social media graphics and more resources to assist as well. Stay tuned for more info.

Sign up here for the NC Farm to Summer Challenge.

Virtual Film Screening Event: Financial Impacts of Climate-Resilient Agriculture in North Carolina

July 27, 2022 // 6 pm ET

Join the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) for a short-film screening highlighting the experience of three North Carolina farms adopting climate-resilient agriculture practices. There will be an engaging session with the three farmers and their extension agents. Also, you can expect to come away with a better understanding of climate-resilient practices and the financial impacts they have on North Carolina farms. 

Register here. 


Grant Basics for Youth Garden Programs

August 4, 2022 // 4 pm - 5 pm ET

Join Sarah Lane, KidsGardening’s Program Director, to learn the basics of writing grants for youth garden programs. She will go over the fundamentals of grants, share where to find grant funding, and how to apply for a grant. 

Register here. 


The Center for Environmental Farming Systems' (CEFS) Symposium on Agriculture, Food Systems and Climate Change

August 11, 2022 // 1 pm - 7 pm ET

The CEFS Symposium on Agriculture, Food Systems, and Climate Change will bring together interdisciplinary researchers, policymakers, farmers, and community leaders for interactive discussions to highlight novel ideas and priorities for agriculture and food systems to address climate change. This symposium is open to all and will conclude with a networking opportunity to cultivate new collaborations and communication among symposium participants. CEFS is excited to exchange ideas, share solutions, and engage with others committed to addressing climate change. This is an in-person event.

Register here.


Recorded: USDA Seeding Success Series - Let it Grow! Sowing Knowledge in Edible Gardens

This webinar focuses on growing edible gardens in schools. USDA fiscal year 2021 Farm to School Turnkey Grant awardees from Denver Urban Gardens, Daleville Community Schools, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area share their success stories of their edible garden projects.

Watch here.

2022 America’s  Farmers Market Celebration

This summer, American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition are giving away $10,000 in prizes (and more!) to the nation’s favorite farmers markets. Help your local market earn national recognition! Voting runs through September 19, 2022!

Cast your vote today!


Overview of Local Food Systems Online Professional Development Training

The NC Cooperative Extension Local Food Programs team is offering a local food systems professional development training. The training program is designed for those who are just getting started in their local food systems career or for those who have experience but want to gain a broader more complete perspective. There are three courses and participants can earn a Certificate of Completion from NC State University upon successful completion. 

The Training Program includes the following courses: 

  • Foundations in Local Food System Development, 15 hours (Register here.)
  • Farm to Fork: Foundations in Local Food Supply & Value Chains, 10 hours (Register here.)
  • The Bottom Line: Economic Realities and Other Opportunities in Local Food Systems, 10 hours (Register here.)

National Institute of Food and Agriculture Grant

Deadline: July 28, 2022

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Sustainable Agricultural Systems supports approaches that promote transformational changes in the US food and agriculture system. NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach for projects that are expected to significantly improve the supply of affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible agricultural products while fostering economic development and rural prosperity in America. 

Learn more here.


Big Green Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) Grants

Big Green is a USA 501c3 non-profit that believes growing food changes lives. They’re launching a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) as an experiment in democratizing and decentralizing their grantmaking. Food or gardening nonprofits can receive funding from the Big Green DAO. Successful applicants will also receive a DAO governance token to drive future funding.

Take the eligibility quiz here.

Values-Aligned Universal School Meals

The National Farm to School Network has been exploring a movement toward values-aligned universal meals focused on equity for the most impacted stakeholders across the food system. Universal meals embedded with the core values of farm to school have the potential to radically transform our food system for the better. Six key values, put into action, get us closer to a just, equitable food system that promotes the health of all school children and benefits producers, workers, educators, and their communities.

Learn more here.

Different Strategies for Challenging Different Levels of Racism 

Race Forward has created a document that describes different strategies to challenge the various levels of racism (internalized, individual, systemic, and institutional).

Learn more here.


The Structural Racism Remedies Repository

This repository, crafted by the Othering & Belonging Institute, has drawn form a vast array of published material to show policy-based recommendations for addressing structural and systemic racism, and advancing racial equity. 

Learn more here.


Voices of the Food Chain

The Voices of the Food Chain is a project from the Food Chain Workers Alliance and Real Food Media to capture and share stories of the country’s 20 million food workers in their own words. The project includes voices from farmworkers, warehouse workers, meatpackers, line cooks, restaurant servers and more. 

Learn more here.

Farm to School Coalition of NC | www.farmtoschoolcoalitionnc.org
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