Nourishing Farm to School Practice With Data to Inform Program Needs: An Evaluation of Participation Among California Public Districts During the 2018-2019 School Year.

Background: The US Department of Agriculture promotes farm to school (F2S) as an evidence-based approach to help school meals meet updated nutrition standards that promote health. California is a key agricultural state with strong support for F2S to promote local agriculture and equitable access to nutritious food for all students.

Objective: Examine district characteristics associated with F2S participation among California public districts during the 2018-2019 school year.

Design: Cross-sectional evaluation of 2019 US Department of Agriculture Farm to School Census data.

Participants/setting: California public districts responding to the 2019 US Department of Agriculture F2S Census (N = 572).

Main outcome measure: Reported participation in F2S activities in 2018-2019. Covariates included district size, annual per-pupil spending, urbanicity, racial/ethnic composition, and percent free and reduced-price meal (% FRPM) eligibility.

Statistical analysis: Descriptive statistics (unweighted frequency and weighted percent) were reported for demographic characteristics. Weighted, multiple logistic regression assessed associations between demographic characteristics and F2S participation, reported as odds ratios (95% CI).

Results: Nearly 78% of California respondents reported F2S participation. Top activities were serving local food in school lunch (73%) and breakfast (65%) and local food promotion at school (45.5%). The odds of participation among districts with enrollments ≥1000 were 1.79 (95% CI 1.15 to 2.79) times higher than smaller districts and 1.57 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.28) times higher in districts with lower annual per-pupil spending (≤$13 707). No significant differences were found by racial/ethnic composition, % FRPM eligibility, or urbanicity.

Conclusions: Disparities in F2S participation exist for small districts and those with high annual per-pupil spending that may lack the advantages of economies of scale. Grant incentives and support networks for these groups are recommended along with increased monitoring focused on the quality of F2S engagement. Administration of a brief annual state F2S Census could support more timely monitoring and accountability to align with state goals and improve opportunities for data sharing and community engagement.