Childhood Obesity & Agriculture

Childhood Obesity & Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. A national commitment to encourage healthier eating by children appears to go hand-in-hand with a number of local and statewide efforts in Oregon, including the farm to school movement. First Lady Michelle Obama has unveiled a road map designed to stem the tide of child obesity in the US. Among its many recommendations is support for farm to school programs such as the one managed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Michelle Ratcliffe. RATCLIFFE: Farm to school is about getting healthy, locally-produced food into the schools and teaching youth about agriculture and food education so that they develop life long healthy eating habits. Along with school gardens and other programs currently underway, there is great hope that kids will be eating more local, healthy foods in the future. The ultimate goal of the national campaign is to bring the childhood obesity rate down from 17 percent today to five percent by 2030. In Oregon, the rate is currently less than ten percent, but there is room for improvement. RATCLIFFE: Yes, we have the lowest rates of obesity. We should be proud of that, but we also shouldn't be satisfied with that. Since schools are a place where many kids get a majority of their food and nutrition, it makes sense to continue working with Oregon farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and processors to get more nutritious food products on the plate for children. That could go a long way towards lowering obesity in kids. Ratcliffe says Oregon's farm to school efforts can play a major role in reducing child obesity in the state. RATCLIFFE: Schools represent a significant place where kids get a majority of their food and nutrition. More than half of the kids in the state, they actually rely on schools- their families rely on schools as a major source of food for their family. Ratcliffe says farm to school efforts are just part of the solution. Combined with other efforts underway, they create a comprehensive plan to attack high child obesity rates. RATCLIFFE: When you couple it with these agricultural food education experiences like farm visits, growing in the garden, learning to cook- that changes what kids think and know about food and they are more likely to eat healthy food. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.