Stakeholder perspectives on farm to school programs

INTRODUCTION: Farm to school programs are being adopted rapidly across the country and hold promise for improving nutrition and combating obesity among students. To be successful, such programs must bring together multiple stakeholders – including school personnel, farmers, and students and parents – whose goals and priorities provide different perspectives on developing effective, sustainable farm to school programs. METHODS: This paper reports on formative qualitative research in three rural Kentucky school districts which are just beginning farm to school programs. Barriers to and opportunities for farm to school programs were explored through 16 focus groups and 20 individual interviews with farmers, teachers, food service staff, students, administrators, and parents. Tape recorded transcripts were content analyzed and subject to protocols to ensure qualitative rigor. RESULTS: Key themes identified among each of the stakeholder groups are compared, highlighting potential areas of commonality and divergence. Particular attention is paid to the varying motivations of stakeholder groups key to successful farm to school programs. The relationship between food service staff and farmers is identified as central to the success of these programs. DISCUSSION: Farm to school programs hold significant promise as both a public health intervention and a community development strategy. These findings can help identify and balance the priorities of key stakeholders as farm to school programs are initiated and developed. Drawing on this research, ideas to maximize both the sustainability and the health impacts of farm to school programs are discussed and recommendations are made for communities initiating these programs.