About Florida Farm to School
What is Florida Farm to School?
Florida’s Farm to School initiative works to increase Florida commodities served in schools, offer more wholesome meal options for Florida’s children and get students involved with nutrition and agriculture education through school gardens.
Our Farm to School efforts not only benefit students, they also strengthen local food systems in Florida by expanding access between schools, farms and communities.
Through local procurement efforts, capacity building, resource development, technical assistance and training, Florida Farm to School fosters positive economic relationships between food producers and schools.
Agriculture Education and Food Recovery
As a Farm to School Coordinator and Food Recovery Specialist, Bela Delgado has a passion for implementing effective food systems and creating resilient agriculture literacy programs in Florida schools. In this role, she provides support in the development and implementation of Food Recovery programs in schools and educational programming in the Farm to School initiative.
School Gardens
Michael Carter has been working in agriculture for nearly a decade and is a Farm to School Outreach Coordinator for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In this role, he works to expand and build the Farm to School initiative by assisting in the establishment of school gardens, educational programming and integrating fresh Florida produce into schools.
Academy Training Facilitator
Jason Dial is a Farm to School Coordinator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In his role, he works to educate Farm to School stakeholders, including Florida producers and schools, about opportunities to engage with the Farm to School initiative. Jason also serves as facilitator for the Department’s “Bringing the Farm to School” procurement trainings.
Who We Are & What We Do
Florida’s Farm to School initiative is led by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness. It is our mission to ensure every child in Florida has access to nutritious meals each day, while promoting the benefits of foods grown in our beautiful state.
Through Farm to School, we connect Florida’s agricultural abundance directly to school cafeterias, supporting local farmers, reducing food insecurity and fostering lifelong nutritious eating habits in students.
By integrating nutrition education and school gardens into daily learning, we’re cultivating a more resilient generation.
Teaching students about Florida agriculture, nutritious foods and healthy eating habits.
Engaging students in hands-on learning through gardening activities and workshops.
Increasing school access to nutritious, locally sourced Florida foods.
Farm to School provides all kids access to nutritious, high-quality, local food so they are ready to learn and grow. Farm to School activities enhance classroom education through hands-on learning related to food, health, agriculture and nutrition.
Farm to School can serve as a significant financial opportunity for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors and food manufacturers by opening the doors to an institutional market worth billions of dollars.
Farm to School benefits everyone from students, teachers and administrators to parents and farmers, providing opportunities to build family and community engagement. Buying from local producers and processors creates new jobs and strengthens the local economy.
Our Impact
In the 2023–2024 school year, Florida’s Farm to School initiative made major strides in local commodity procurement, as schools spent more than $34 million on Florida-grown foods for school meals — from fruits and vegetables to dairy, beef and poultry.
Review our annual impact report to see the real economic impact Farm to School has on local farmers, communities and our state as a whole.
