February 16, 2023

This Week in Farm to School 

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

Food Solutions New England February Intensive Series - Belonging 

February 17, 2023 // 10 am - 4 pm ET

Join Food Solutions New England co-hosts Karen Spiller and Curtis Ogden for the second installment in their February Intensive Series. During this session, they will be talking with the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California-Berkeley, a community of scholars, organizers, communicators, researchers, artists, and policymakers committed to building a world where all people belong. 

Register here.

Honoring Native American, Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Culture in Youth Gardens

February 22, 2023 // 7 pm ET

Join KidsGardening as they explore ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning. By their nature, gardens embody diversity. Garden education is increasingly recognized as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic goals, health and wellness, place-based education, and community connections and relationships. However, discussion of culture is often missing in garden-based education. To validate and celebrate the interests and experiences of our students, the webinar will delve deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food and gardens and also as it relates to the diverse populations with whom we work.

Register here.

2023 Racial Equity Challenge Launch Webinar

March 7, 2023, 2:00 pm EST

Join Food Solutions New England (FSNE) for an informational introduction to their 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge which will be held in April. This webinar will be held over Zoom where you'll learn more about the 21-Day challenge and what you can expect from getting involved whether you participate as an organization, group, or individual. The Challenge is a great way to learn about the history and impacts of racism on our current food system while inspiring participants with resources and tools to build racial equity in their work and lives. 

Register for the launch webinar here.

Non-Linear Garden Design as an Identity-Affirming Garden Practice

March 15, 2023 // 2 pm ET

Join the Academy for Global Citizenship in a conversation on exploring nonlinear garden designs as a way to re-center the practices of ancestral growers and invite conversations about identity and heritage into our garden programs. Get inspiration and concrete strategies for culturally affirming garden education to translate for any garden program.

Register here.

2023 Community Food Gathering - Forging Our Food Future

March 15 - 16, 2023 // Rocky Mount, NC

The Community Food Gathering is Community Food Strategies’ signature statewide event which brings together farm and food system leaders, public service and nonprofit leaders, local food councils, key partners, and community food advocates across the state.  This gathering organizes various food system stakeholders to explore solutions, learn skills, and strategize around how to create a food system built by us and for us. 

Learn more here.

Young People Working for Food Justice in North Carolina 

Learn about an update on a plan to convert an abandoned correctional facility into a working farm and education center and the network of youth-led food justice organizations that helps support the work. 

Read more here.

Indigikitchen and No Kid Hungry Toolkit: Traditional Foods in Montana School Meals

Indigikitchen, an online cooking show dedicated to re-indigenizing diets using digital media, and Montana No Kid Hungry recently partnered to release a Toolkit for Traditional Foods in Montana School Meals. This toolkit aims to help school food service directors identify, procure, and incorporate indigenous traditional, healthy foods into school meals. 

Learn more here.

Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs

The USDA Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide provides an overview of federal procurement principles and covers a host of topics related to sourcing and purchasing local foods for state agencies and Child Nutrition program operators. 

Learn more here.

Job Opportunity - Business Associate to CEFS CORE & Educational Programs

The Business Associate for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems' Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System & Educational Programs position will play an important role in the administration of all educational programs, including internships, apprenticeships, and graduate fellowships for CEFS.

Learn more here.

2023 I LOVE Strawberries Educator Resources

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is offering free resource bundles that include a copy of the AFBFA Book of the Year: I Love Strawberries!, one copy of the educator guide, and one set of 30 Specialty Crop Ag Mags. Apply to receive your free materials by February 28, 2023.

Apply here.

Black Farmers in America, 1865 - 2000 - The Pursuit of Independent Farming and the Role of Cooperatives

This USDA article explores the arduous struggle to own land and farm independently for Black farmers. For more than a century after the Civil War, deficient civil rights and various economic and social barriers were applied to maintaining a system where many blacks worked as farm operators with a limited and often total lack of opportunity to achieve ownership and operating independence. Diminished civil rights also limited collective action strategies, such as cooperatives and unions. Even so, various types of cooperatives, including farmer associations, were organized in black farming communities prior to the 1960s. During the 1960s, the civil rights movement brought a new emphasis on cooperatives. Leaders and organizations adopted an explicit purpose and role of black cooperatives in pursuing independent farming. Increasingly, new technology and integrated contracting systems are diminishing independent decision-making in the management of farms. As this trend expands, more cooperatives may be motivated, with a determination similar to those serving black farmers, to pursue proactive strategies for maintaining independent farming.

Learn more here.

28-Days of Black History from Anti-Racism Daily

Anti-Racism Daily sends out a daily email to honor and celebrate Black history. Each email includes a cultural artifact, action steps, and discussion questions.

Subscribe here.

Indigenous Voices Outdoors

This Rethink Outside™ webinar honors and spotlights organizations led by and serving Indigenous, Native, and Tribal communities to promote equitable access to the outdoors. By cultivating outdoor experiences through an Indigenous lens, these organizations are supporting Indigenous and Tribal communities and advocating for Indigenous rights.

Watch here.

21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

Food Solutions New England will host the 9th version of its food system-oriented 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from April 3, 2023 to April 23, 2023. Each year, thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations join in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world. 

Learn more here.

RAFI-USA Farmers of Color Network 2023 Infrastructure Grant Application

Deadline: February 27, 2023

RAFI-USA’s Farmers of Color Network Fund provides support to farmers for projects that will increase farm viability, support community food sovereignty efforts, preserve traditional and cultural farming practices, as well as assist local food economies. Applicants may request up to $10,000 in funding. This applies to individual farm projects as well as collaborative projects for cooperatives, collectives, or two or more farms. 

Apply here for English and apply here for Spanish.

Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program

Deadline: March 1, 2023

The Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing educational garden located at either a K-12 school or a non-profit organization that serves youth in the K-12 grade range.

Learn more here.

2023 NCDA&CS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Deadline: March 3, 2023 

The NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is accepting grant applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Nonprofits and government agencies wishing to apply should send a pdf draft application to jenni.keith@ncagr.gov. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. The department will accept grant requests up to $200,000.

Learn more here.

School Nutrition Foundation Equipment Grants

Deadline: March 31, 2023

The School Nutrition Foundation is teaming up with industry partners to provide new kitchen equipment to districts. Apply now for the 2023 SNF Equipment Grant Program, featuring applications for five grants! Eligible applicants have the opportunity to win equipment grants, each worth between $20,000 to $100,000 of equipment. Applications and photos must be submitted by a School Nutrition Director. There is a submission cap of 30 applications for each grant. 

Learn more here.

NC Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Going Local Grant

Deadline: April 15, 2023

North Carolina Farm Bureau is happy to provide agricultural outreach grants to North Carolina teachers through their Ag in the Classroom Going Local program. These grants value up to $500. Going Local Grants help educators provide Pre-K through collegiate-level students with valuable, real-world education and experiences directly related to the agricultural industry and the NC Standard Course of Study. Teachers practicing in private and public North Carolina schools, colleges, and universities are encouraged to apply. 

Learn more here.

Proposed Updates to the School Nutrition Standards

The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service recently issued a proposed rule regarding new school meal standards addressing added sugars, sodium, milk, and whole grains. USDA held a briefing on the proposed rule on February 6. The briefing recording, proposed rule, and other related resources are available on the USDA website. The proposed rule is available for public comment from February 7 - April 10, 2023.

Learn more here.

Strategies for Finding Success With Community Eligibility Provision

Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) enable eligible schools to serve free meals to all students regardless of income. No Kid Hungry has provided a number of resources to help schools determine strategies for success with CEP. 

Learn more here.