Opinion Editorial by Ariel Bleth

Printed in the Missoulian Newspaper

April 9, 2006

Are we ready to connect food and farms with nutrition and schools?

I recently visited a farm in Big Sandy, Montana, where Bob Quinn grows and markets Kamut, a grain with a long, illustrious history. Originally from ancient Egypt, Kamut is touted for its high protein, vitamin and mineral content. For many of us, the geography of Big Sandy may be different from what we are used to. In the wide, open vistas one feels vulnerable - both to biting winds and a sense of isolation. Yet agriculture connects us to our eastern neighbors. A case in point is Kamut now being served in the Missoula Public Schools: food can connect youth to the land that sustains them while improving their health and nutrition.

The Missoula County Public School district (MCPS) has the opportunity to make this connection even stronger. Federal legislation mandates that every school district establish a “wellness policy” by the fall of 2006. Responsibility for this policy is at the local level so each district can address its particular needs. The idea seems simple – to enact policies to ensure that nutrition education, physical activity, food served on campus and other school-based activities promote student wellness.

The need for a bold and innovative policy is clear. Our nation and Montana are experiencing a public health problem in the form of an obesity epidemic, rising incidences of diabetes, and increasing food insecurity. Nationally, more than nine million children over the age of six are obese. In Montana, during the 2002-2004 years, 12 % of all households were food insecure; over 19 % of children under 18 lived in poverty. A person experiences “food insecurity” when he or she lacks access to enough food (generally for economic reasons) to fully meet their basic needs at all times. People need better information about healthy diets, but they also need healthy food to be affordable and accessible.

Why are the schools an important link in assuring regular access to nutritionally adequate food for school age youth? For many children, more than half of their daily nutrition comes from meals they eat at school. Nearly 79,000 Montana students (SY 2003-2004) participated in the school lunch program and over 19,000 in the school breakfast program. The average daily participation in the summer nutrition program increased by 131% over the last decade. Clearly, our children rely on their schools for nourishment and support in making healthy choices.

Fortunately, in Missoula the district’s food service staff are engaged in creatively facing the challenges of miniscule financial resources and the bureaucratic inertia that inevitably slows down change. The Farm to School program, begun this fall, seeks to introduce Montana products into the school cafeteria meals and engage students in interactive education that brings them into a new relationship with food. It isn’t enough to offer fresher fruits and vegetables. Students need to understand the source of their food and how their food choices affect not only their own health and wellbeing, but that of the larger community and environment.

Over 400 Farm to School programs have been established across our nation. Their popularity rests both in their tangible successes and also the simple brilliance of the program’s strategy: to address at once the multiple goals of providing new markets for regional farmers, food security for families and improved health for children. Many programs are seeing an increase in student meal participation rates. At the same time, educational opportunities encourage students to understand health and wellness as more than just calories and exercise. It is an opportunity to connect to (dare I say this oft used word?) place - be it with the farmers that grow their food, through an awareness of seasonal cycles, or by benefiting from the protected open space that farms provide.

What if the MCPS district stated in their wellness policy that Montana-grown food would be purchased when possible? And that school menus would be coordinated around seasonal production of local farms, or even school gardens? What if our children became healthier while our regional producers were given a boost, so that economic viability could be synonymous with area farms?

While signs are encouraging, it is going to take broad community support. Now is the time to voice our opinions, and let the wellness committee and the School Board know that the Farm to School program is a good idea.

Our youth can make better choices if we as a community take a stand and act together. And who says kids won’t eat healthy snack food? Wait till you try that Kamut krunch ….

Ariel Bleth is a graduate student at the University of Montana, Missoula and a Farm to School Program intern.