Legislative findings

A. The Legislature recognizes that:

1. Farm to School Programs link schools and Oklahoma farms in

order to provide schools with fresh and minimally processed farm

commodities for inclusion in school meals and snacks, to help

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 2. Agriculture Page 190

children develop healthy eating habits, and to improve Oklahoma

farmers’ incomes and direct access to markets; and

2. The benefits of Farm to School Programs often include

activities that provide students with hands-on learning

opportunities, such as farm visits, cooking demonstrations, and

school gardening and composting programs, and integrate nutrition

and agriculture education into school curricula.

B. It is the intent of the Legislature that school districts

encourage the implementation of the Oklahoma Farm to School Program,

which will emphasize the purchase of locally and regionally produced

foods in order to improve child nutrition and strengthen local and

regional farm economies.

C. A successful statewide Farm to School Program will require

the resources, expertise, and collaboration of a variety of state

agencies, including the State Department of Education, the State

Department of Health, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food,

and Forestry, the Department of Human Services, and a nonprofit

agency that has experience in Farm to School Programs.