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Farm to school programs: exploring the role of regionally-based food distributors in alternative agrifood networks

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  • Betty Izumi
  • D. Wright
  • Michael Hamm

Abstract

Farm to school programs are at the vanguard of efforts to create an alternative agrifood system in the United States. Regionally-based, mid-tier food distributors may play an important role in harnessing the potential of farm to school programs to create viable market opportunities for small- and mid-size family farmers, while bringing more locally grown fresh food to school cafeterias. This paper focuses on the perspectives of food distributors. Our findings suggest that the food distributors profiled have the potential to help institutionalize farm to school programs. Notably, their relationships with farmers may be a critical element in expanding the scale and scope of local school food procurement. Their ability to catalyze local school food procurement however, is limited by the structural context in which farm to school programs operate. Specifically, the oppositional school year and agriculture production cycle, and tight food service budget constraints disembed and limit the potential of farm to school programs to decrease the “marketness” of school food procurement and to shift it from a process based largely on price to one that is more territorially embedded. As farm to school programs continue to gain support, regionally-based food distributors that have the meaningful relationships necessary to re-embed the school food service market back into the larger society may be critical to enabling advocates to achieve their goals. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Suggested Citation

  • Betty Izumi & D. Wright & Michael Hamm, 2010. "Farm to school programs: exploring the role of regionally-based food distributors in alternative agrifood networks," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 27(3), pages 335-350, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:27:y:2010:i:3:p:335-350
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-009-9221-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Weir, Jonathan Z., 2018. "The Impacts & Distribution of State Incentives on Farm to School Programs: A Probability Model," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 273851, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Charis Linda Braun & Meike Rombach & Anna Maria Häring & Vera Bitsch, 2018. "A Local Gap in Sustainable Food Procurement: Organic Vegetables in Berlin’s School Meals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Ralston, Katherine & Beaulieu, Elizabeth & Hyman, Jeffrey & Benson, Matthew & Smith, Michael, 2017. "Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers," Economic Information Bulletin 256713, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    4. Becot, Florence & Conner, David & Nelson, Abbie & Buckwalter, Erin & Erickson, Daniel, 2014. "Institutional Demand for Locally-Grown Food in Vermont: Marketing Implications for Producers and Distributors," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 45(2), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Shawn A. Trivette, 2017. "Invoices on scraps of paper: trust and reciprocity in local food systems," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 529-542, September.
    6. von Germeten, Jan-Paul & Hartmann, Monika, 2015. "What determines suppliers' intensity of participation in the EU School Fruit Scheme," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211915, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. William Lacy, 2023. "Local food systems, citizen and public science, empowered communities, and democracy: hopes deserving to live," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 1-17, March.
    8. Giaime Berti & Catherine Mulligan, 2016. "Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-31, July.
    9. Jennifer Jo Thompson & A. June Brawner & Usha Kaila, 2017. "“You can’t manage with your heart”: risk and responsibility in farm to school food safety," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 683-699, September.
    10. Filippini, Rosalia & De Noni, Ivan & Corsi, Stefano & Spigarolo, Roberto & Bocchi, Stefano, 2018. "Sustainable school food procurement: What factors do affect the introduction and the increase of organic food?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 109-119.
    11. Amanda Souza & Armando Fornazier, 2022. "Case Study of the School Feeding Program in Distrito Federal, Brazil: Building Quality in Short Food Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.
    12. Lisa Jordan Powell & Hannah Wittman, 2018. "Farm to school in British Columbia: mobilizing food literacy for food sovereignty," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(1), pages 193-206, March.
    13. Henshaw, Thomas L. & Reynolds, Robert, 2022. "Regional Patterns of Outsourcing in Higher Education Foodservice: Implications for Conscious Consumption," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 53(3), November.

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