Project Title
Northwest Regional School Food Procurement Project
Farm to School Northwest Region Hub
Organization Information
Organization Name
Farm to School Northwest Region Hub (program of Public Health Association of BC)
Mission and Vision of Organization
Healthy, local and sustainable food on the plates and minds of all students in BC F2SBC
Mission
Working with communities and partners, Farm to School BC seeks to empower and support schools in building comprehensive Farm to School programs that support vibrant, sustainable, regional food systems, develop student food literacy and enhance school and community connectedness.
Goals
- Support the development of sustainable regional food systems in BC by bringing more healthy, local, and sustainable food into BC schools
- Promote healthy eating in schools by supporting the further development of healthy school food environments and fruit vegetable consumption
- Advance experiential, hands-on learning opportunities related to food systems and the development of student food literacy
- Enhance school and community connectedness
- Develop promising Farm to School practice models that are sustainable, self-financing, eco-friendly and have the potential to be implemented elsewhere.
Farm to School BC is a program of the Public Health Association of BC and is supported by the Province of British Columbia and the Provincial Health Services Authority.
Guiding Principles + Values
Farm to School empowers students and school communities to make informed food choices while contributing to vibrant, sustainable regional food systems that support the health of people, place and planet. Farm to school programs differ by school, but always include one or more of the following:
- Healthy, Local Food: Schools source local food in a variety of ways, including through direct farmer relationships, food distributors, schoolyard farms, or the harvesting of wild or traditional foods. When local food arrives in schools it is often served in the form of a salad bar, hot lunch program, tasting activity, fundraiser, or community celebration.
- Hands-on Learning: Food literacy is a critically important component of Farm to School programs. Step into any school offering a Farm to School program and you will find students learning about food in the school garden, greenhouse, kitchen, lunchroom or classroom. They may also be getting ready for field trips to local farms, forests and shores. School & Community
- Connectedness: The most successful and sustainable Farm to School programs are built upon strong relationships. Schools establish relationships with farmers, community members, and support organizations, tapping into local knowledge passion, skills and resources.
- Sustainable Regional Food Systems: The Farm to School BC Network and movement is dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable regional food systems in British Columbia.
Contact Information
- Primary Contact Person(s): Vicky Serafini, she/her
- Email: northwestregion@farmtoschoolbc.ca
- Phone: Please ask
- Address: #550-2950 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8T 4N4
- Website: https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/
Preferred Method of Contact
- Best method(s) to contact: Email
- Best day(s) to contact: Tuesdays, Thursdays. Request that one student manages communications for the sake of efficiency.
- Best time(s) to contact: Afternoons
Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration
- Email, Zoom
Project Description
Note: This project will take place online
Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?
Farm to School BC Northwest Regional Hub is seeking to assess the capacity and interest of regional food producers in participating in food procurement relationships with educational institutions. This project aims to address a gap in understanding the capacity of regional producers to participate in food procurement and food literacy for K-12 students.
Main Project Activities and Deliverables
- LFS 350 students will develop a survey to determine regional producers' capacity and interest in procurement relationships with educational institutions
- Students will distribute the survey to regional producers
- Specific recipients to be identified by the community partner, with more general circulation possible through social media channels
- Create a map (asset map) outlining which producers have capacity and interest in partnering
- Map should be accompanied by a list of barriers identified by survey respondents, particularly those who do not have capacity or interest in partnering
- Based on survey results, select 1-2 topics for a focus group of NW region food producers
- Brief final report summarizing the deliverables
If time permits
- Host/co-facilitate one or both focus groups (virtual) with NW region producers
- Analyze focus group discussions to enhance the asset map
Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)
- Interest or experience in developing surveys
- Interest or experience in data analysis (quantitative/qualitative)
- Facilitation experience an asset
- Professional communication skills
- Interest in school food
- Interest in institutional procurement practices
Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?
- No
Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?
- No
How much self-direction is expected from the students?
- Deciding on the project deliverable(s): Led by community partner
- Developing the activity plan and timeline: Mostly led by community partner, with some student input
- Scheduling and initiating the communication plan (e.g. weekly Zoom check-in, biweekly email update, etc.): Equal leadership between students and community partner
- Implementing the activity plan (e.g. surveying stakeholder groups): Led by students
- Finalizing the deliverable(s): Led by students
Preferred Days of Week and Hours
- Flexible
Related Community Service Opportunities for Students
- N/A
Project/Partner Orientation Materials
Students should review the following materials prior to the first partner meeting. Additional orientation materials may be provided at the first partner meeting.
- https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/ - especially the About, starting a program, and resources pages
- https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/network/regional-hubs/vancouver-region-farm-school-hub/
- https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/ https://maps.youngagrarians.org/
Additional Resources
- Holmes, S. (2019). Food procurement in English-language Canadian public schools: Opportunities and challenges. Canadian Food Studies / La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 6(1), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v6i1.265
Expected Outcomes
Intended Short-term Project Outcome
The Farm to School Vancouver Region Animator has an updated resource package to better support teachers and community partners to design and implement their F2S projects.
Learning Outcomes
Through this project, I think students will learn about...
- Strategies for engaging stakeholders
- Needs of producers to participate in regional food procurement
- Regionally-specific barriers for food producers
By working on this project, I think students will develop skills and/or awareness of...
- Regional food systems
- Thoughtful and intentional survey design
- Systematic results analysis methods
By the end of the project, I believe students will come to appreciate...
- The unique challenges and opportunities in building capacity and interest among producers in Northwestern BC to build relationships with educational institutions.