News
Farm to School Grant RFA is out
Deadline: January 8
The fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is now available! The solicitation officially opened October 16th, 2020, and will remain open until 11:59pm ET on January 8, 2021. FNS seeks to award up to $10 million this fiscal year. New for FY 2021, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program at non-school based sites are included in the definition of eligible schools and may apply for funding. Register for the informational November 10 and November 13 webinars.
|
|
|
Webinars and Events
1. An Intro to Incorporating Greenhouses into Your School Garden Webinar: Extending Your Garden-Based Learning and Growing Season
December 2 // 2pm ET
This workshop is an introduction for educators who are exploring ways to incorporate a greenhouse as a hands-on learning environment and/or tool to extend their growing. It will offer information and resources for establishing a new project or further activating an existing greenhouse or hoop house. The presentation will highlight the Greenhouse Manual created by the United States Botanic Garden, the National Center for Appropriate Technology and City Blossoms, which participants can download for free. Youth Staff members from Mighty Greens will also share their expertise and experiences growing and running their business in greenhouses in Washington, DC. Register here.
2. Request for Proposals: Mississippi Farm to Cafeteria Conference
Deadline: December 4
The Mississippi Farm to School Network is seeking speakers and session leaders for our upcoming annual Farm to Cafeteria Conference on February 8-10, 2021! Due to the pandemic, the conference will be virtual this year. We encourage and welcome proposals from those who are involved and interested in farm to school operations among other initiatives working towards food justice & sovereignty in local agri-food systems. Submit your proposal here.
3. 2020 Young Farmers and Cooks Conference
December 8-10
The mission of the YFCC Conference is to inspire a generation of culinary and agricultural producers as they transform the future of food. The workshops, panels and talks this year will address the full, complex set of relationships that get food from field to plate, bringing in more conversations than ever before that address the intersections of farmer and cook, processor and seed keeper, baker and butcher. Learn more and register.
4. Webinar: Contactless Virtual Market Model from Georgia Organics
December 9 // 3pm ET
The Georgia Organics Mid-Week Pop Up Market team will discuss best practices and reflections after running the contactless virtual market as a COVID-19 response. The Georgia Organics team believe this market is a replicable model that relies on collaboration between farmers’ and community partners. RSVP here to join on Zoom and learn more.
|
|
Resources and Research
1. Native Farm to School for Food Sovereignty
First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is a Native-led nonprofit and recipient of a 2020 USDA Regional Farm to School Institute Grant. They recently established Native Farm to School—a project within the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. The goal of the project is to support Farm to School programs serving Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities throughout Indian Country that aim to bring food sovereignty to their local food systems. Keep an eye out for the revised Native Farm-to-School Resource Guide that will be available in early 2021. Learn more about the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative at firstnations.org.
2. Virtual Field Trips on the Apple Seeds Teaching Farm
Apple Seeds Teaching Farm is a non-profit based in Arkansas dedicated to garden-based education. They have created two standards-based virtual field trip programs for 3rd and 4th grade that are grant-funded and completely free to all students and educators. Each field trip includes:
- A video exploration of the farm;
- Optional supplemental worksheets; and a
- Detailed teacher guide
3. Survey for School Food Professionals
Chef Ann Foundation is planning and developing a School Food Fellowship Program that will launch in 2021. This program will be centered on creating the next generation of diverse school food leaders in scratch-cook operations. They need your help and feedback to make this program the best it can be and serve the needs and desires of school food professionals like you! The survey should only take about 8 minutes to complete and will help structure several pieces of the program. Thank you for your time and input!
4. New Coursera Course on Sustainable Diets and Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future is excited to announce a new short Coursera course: Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets. This short, three-module course looks at the urgent need to address the sustainability of our food systems for all, including better understanding the complex and nuanced relationship between diet and climate change. The course explores current research on dietary shifts in high, middle, and low-income countries that could help us make progress toward sustainability and food security goals, and discuss evidence-based strategies to promote diets that are healthier and more sustainable.
5. Report: The Food System: Concentration and Its Impacts
“The Food System: Concentration and Its Impacts” is a special report commissioned by Family Farm Action Alliance and written by Mary K. Hendrickson, Philip H. Howard, Emily M. Miller, and Douglas H. Constance. This report provides the latest updated data on the state of concentration in the agrifood system, and outlines what happens when a few hands control the way billions of consumers, farmers, and farmworkers work and eat. It also includes bold proposals for decentralizing our agrifood system to move power out of the control of just a few. This report is founded on the premise that monopolistic control is no longer about accumulating capital or profits, but rather amassing and protecting power.
6. The Indigenous New Hampshire (NH) Harvest Calendar
The Indigenous NH Harvest calendar is a project of NH Farm to School and the Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective. The calendar features the foods of the Abenaki, the Indigenous inhabitants of N’dakinna (our land). The Abenaki, the main Indigenous inhabitants of what is now New Hampshire, are part of the Wabanaki people which also includes other nations like the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy. The Harvest Calendar feature foods that would have been hunted, gathered, or cultivated, as well as accompanying recipes and activities. The seasonal foods are based on the 13 moons calendar of when the foods would have been available and still are!
7. Research Brief: Identifying and Countering White Supremacy Culture in Food Systems
The Duke World Food Policy Center has released a research brief centered on the question "How does white supremacy culture play out in the food insecurity and food access space in the United States?" To become anti-racist, food system actors must understand how white supremacy culture narratives function to center whiteness across the food system, effectively reinforcing systemic racial inequality and by extension disadvantaging BIPOC people. The brief discusses how whiteness holds white ideals as universal, how whiteness fuels power in decision-making, and how whiteness defines foods as either good or bad. Read the brief and hear the podcast here.
|
|
|
Grants and Funding
1. No Kid Hungry: Increase Food Security Among Young Children (0-5 Years Old) Grant Opportunity
Deadline: December 18
Community organizations, early child care centers, healthcare providers and others working to ensure vulnerable young children have access to healthy food are encouraged to apply for a grant. Grants will be between $15,000-$25,000. These grants are flexible and we are especially eager to support organizations who have authentically engaged community members to develop innovative programs that support young children. A zoom session will be held on December 3rd from 2pm-3pm EST to answer any questions you may have. Learn more and apply.
2. Center for Science in the Public Interest's State and Local Policy Campaign Grant Funding Opportunities
Deadline: Rolling basis until December 31
CSPI is excited to announce a new funding opportunity for state and local advocates working to advance innovative policies to measurably improve the food environments in schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and federal, state, and local programs to support public health, especially for low-income families and communities of color. Learn more and apply.
3. One Earth Award
Deadline: Varies between December 2020 and January 2021, depending on region
Are you a creative teen who cares about climate change? The One Earth Award provides four students whose creative works address human-caused climate change with $1,000 scholarships. Additional state scholarships of $500 are available to two students from each of the following states: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. All students in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) are eligible to participate. Deadlines are approaching quickly. Learn more, find out your local deadline and apply here.
4. 2021 Farm to School Grant Request for Applications is Now Open!
Deadline: January 8
The fiscal year (FY) 2021 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is now available! The solicitation officially opened October 16th, 2020, and will remain open until 11:59pm ET on January 8th, 2021. FNS seeks to award up to $10 million this fiscal year. New for FY 2021, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program at non-school based sites are included in the definition of eligible schools and may apply for funding.
|
|
Iowa and National Resources
Eat Fresh Southeast Iowa
Regional network for local food producers and consumers, facilitated by ISU Extension and Outreach.
Eat Greater Des Moines
Central Iowa-based non-profit organization that facilitates and builds connections to strengthen the area's food system.
Flavors of Northwest Iowa
Regional network for local food producers and consumers, facilitated by ISU Extension and Outreach.
Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children
Iowa AEYC strives to encourage advocacy, build leadership, and promote professionalism. Find out how Iowa AEYC can help you as an early childhood professional!
Iowa Farm to School Network
Find resources to support your farm to school efforts on the website of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Program.
Iowa Local Food Day
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship initiated Iowa Local Food Day in 2018 to bring together all sectors of farm to school to celebrate Iowa-grown food.
Iowa Nutrition Network
Coordinated by the Iowa Department of Public Health, the network provides opportunities to meet in person with other leaders in the field. Participants also benefit from email announcements and information sharing Contact Suzy Wilson at suzy.wilson@idph.iowa.gov to join the email list.
Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative
WK Kellogg-supported regional health and wellness project in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.
Regional Food System Working Group (RFSWG)
The RFSWG network works to maximize the potential for community-based, economically sustainable, and environmentally and socially responsible food enterprises by supporting education, conducting research and facilitating partnerships.
National Farm to School Network
Sign up to receive monthly e-mail newsletters and stay up-to-date on the latest stories, best practices, learning opportunities and policy actions to help farm to school grow nationwide.
The Dirt
Weekly e-letter of the USDA's Community Food Systems program.
Know of other resources to share? Email us!
|
|
|
|
