What Is The Northeast Farm to School Collaborative?

We're a collective movement of educators, food providers, and policy advocates working collaboratively to catalyze food system change, starting with the school community. By building connections among classrooms, cafeterias, and communities, we increase student knowledge, improve attitudes toward healthy and local food, and become an important catalyst for rebuilding a more sustainable food system. Being a region of small- and medium-sized states that rely on shared supply chain infrastructure, the Northeast partners work together on many aspects of Farm to School.

Active since 2008, the Northeast Farm to School Collaborative, comprised of leaders from seven Northeast states and USDA, is an active group of Farm to School innovators who work within their states and regionally to advance Farm to School through networking, peer sharing, collaborative projects, policy, and convenings. Vermont FEED, a program of Shelburne Farms and NOFA-VT, facilitates the group.

The partners have a strong history of successful collaboration and have been a collective seven-state voice with food service management companies, policy positions, and regional partner coalitions, including the creation of the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) network. The Northeast Farm to School Collaborative has held national and regional conferences, forums and trainings, professional development opportunities for schools (including the Northeast Farm to School Institute), and worked to develop large-scale procurement projects to identify and overcome barriers to sourcing local food for schools.