Farm to School Program coming to Hawaii

Jul 08, 2015

Bill recently signed by Governor Ige

In an effort to educate and expose children and their families to food systems and how their food is produced, Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill establishing a Farm to School Program in the state.

The Program will include the establishment of a farm to school coordinator who will work to secure sources of local agriculture and introduce them to schools in Hawaii.

Governor Ige has asked Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui to take charge of the project.

“For a number of years we’ve talked about the importance of Farm to School programs, and this bill signing takes the process a giant step forward,” Tsutsui said in a release. “This program will ensure that our kids have nutritious meals as they learn about locally grown produce and cattle. This is a tremendous opportunity, and I look forward to working with the program coordinator, various state departments and agencies and the community to make sure we continue to move forward.”

With the increased awareness of food and where it comes from, Congress introduced the Farm to School Act of 2015 back in February.

School trip to farm

The bill will build on the success of the USDA’s Farm to School Grant Program in a few different ways, including increasing the mandatory yearly funding from $5 million to $15 million and increase the participation of veteran, socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers.

Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts about Hawaii establishing a Farm to School Program.

As a farmer would you open your farm to school children who want to know more about where their food comes from?

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