Fair Food List Spotlight: National Farm to School Network

Meet Anupama Joshi, Co-Founder and Executive Director

www.fairfoodnetwork.org/list/national-farm-school-network

Anupama Joshi has spent years helping children understand the importance of "growing the good." Originally from India, Anupama arrived in the United States 10 years ago, after spending several years living in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe. Anupama started her career in nutrition and now leads the National Farm to School Network, an organization supporting the implementation of Farm to School programs across the country.

Farm to School programs connect schools (pre K-12) with local farms to increase healthy meals in school cafeterias, improve student nutrition, provide agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and support local and regional farmers.

Anupama’s interest in food began in her childhood kitchen. "My mom was a strong influence in exciting me about healthy food," Anapuma recounts. "I was often involved in food prep by my mom’s side and at an early age understood the importance of investing time in cooking so that what you serve is not just good, but great."

Those experiences as a child have come full circle with her own son. "I was seven months pregnant when I took the job with the Farm to School Network. I saw it as not just another job, but an opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in schools and with children’s health."

The National Farm to School Network’s success is reflected in its rapid expansion throughout the country. "In 2005, we had five regional organizations involved and saw Farm to School programs in 23 states," Anupama states. Today, the National Farm to School Network includes eight Regional Lead Agencies that coordinate activities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with the support of 50 State Farm to School Leads. Anupama, her colleagues and the organization’s regional groups support Farm to School programs by providing free training and technical assistance, informational resources, networking opportunities, and support for policy development, media and marketing, and research. This year the Network is gearing up to host the 6th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Burlington, VT in early August.

And the effect of Anupama’s work has also been felt in her own home. She describes her son’s participation in a nutrition class: “At the end of the lesson, my son went up to his teacher to ask, ‘Do you know where your food comes from?’ He continued by explaining the concept of Farm to School, which led to his teacher inviting me to do a presentation on local foods for students and school administration. Their school now has their own garden and conducts taste tests to engage kids in trying out new foods.”

Anupama hopes the National Farm to School Network’s effective structure will serve as a model for other organizations working to grow the good. You can find out how to reach the Farm to School Network on the Fair Food List, which includes numerous organizations led by passionate and dedicated people such as Anupama. "What Oran has been doing with Fair Food Network is really impressive. Bringing his experiences from the foundation world to Fair Food Network is helpful for all of us." Anupama can now use the Fair Food List to help expand the Farm to School Network even further!

Learn more about the National Farm to School Network at farmtoschool.org.