Eating What You Grow at School

Alice Waters, esteemed mother of the organic food movement is passionate about teaching kids where their food comes from. Her School Lunch Initiative program, implemented in one Berkeley school allows students to nurture organic produce from seed to the table and we are not talking cafeteria fare, these children dine in a style a la, Ralph Lauren . Alice has taken her cause to DC and while I applaud her efforts I find Alice's initiative unrealistic for less affluent schools. There is another school/farming program in California that is proving more inclusive for both children and traditional farmers. Because 5th grade students at Birch Lane Elementary school in Davis grow vegetables for the school salad bar, they eat them, and because farmers in Yolo County supply the school with additional produce, the school supports local farmers, a win- win for all. Over 400 districts throughout the US participate in farm to school programs. If you want your school to become part of the school farming movement as well, e-mail me at Food Forethought .org, I'm Susan Allen