ECONOMY

Calculate the impact of your school's local spending

Farm to school provides economic development opportunities to producers (e.g., farmers, ranchers, fishers), laborers, distributors, processors, cooks and foodservice staff, as well as others who support the local food system. Farm to school activities can help build long-term economic vitality by creating demand for local food products. Success in this sector is measured via local and regional economic impact, market opportunities, income generation, and social capital.

generated for the local economy
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Source: According to research conducted by Ecotrust in the report The Impact of Seven Cents, and updated in 2015, for each $1.00 spent on local school food purchases excluding fluid milk and butter, a total of $2.00 of economic activity is generated in the Oregon state economy. This calculator automatically does that math, allowing a school district to visualize the total economic activity generated by their hypothetical or actual local purchases.

LOCAL AND STATEWIDE ECONOMIC IMPACT

Increase in market opportunities & income generation for local producers, processors, and distributors through sales to school districts and other child nutrition programs.

Percentage of total food costs spent on local and Oregon foods by school districts and other child nutrition programs.

Source: Data reported by Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Procurement grantees on their Grant Reports covering the 2019-2020 School Year

Total dollar amount of all local and Oregon products purchased by school districts and other child nutrition programs.

$

Source: Data reported by Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Procurement grantees on their Grant Reports covering the 2019-2020 School Year

Percentage of school districts that purchase Oregon-grown or processed products

53.8% of school districts are participating in the Oregon Farm to School Procurement Grant program

Source: 106 school districts, out of 197 school districts in Oregon, participating in the Oregon Department of Education's Farm to School Procurement grant, reported purchasing Oregon foods in their grant reports covering the 19-20 School Year.

Number of producers, processors and distributors supplying local and Oregon products to school districts

Source: Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Procurement Grant Claims for the 19-20 School Years

Number of new jobs created by food producers, processors, or distributors due to farm to school market demand

For each job created directly from local school food purchases, a total of 2.61 jobs are created throughout the Oregon state economy. We estimate that in 2011-2012, 120 total jobs were created.

Source: Job multiplier data from The Impact of Seven Cents report, updated for the 2011-2012 school year

School districts across Oregon utilize a wide range of methods to purchase local/Oregon products

Source: Data reported by Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Procurement grantees on their Grant Reports covering the 2019-2020 school year

SOCIAL CAPITAL BUILT IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE COMMUNITY

Mutually supportive relationships result in access to resources shared between community and school districts

Availability of funding for school districts to engage the community in farm to school efforts

$

Source: Allocated to Farm to School Education grants for the 2019-21 school years. This is a scoring criteria in the Farm to School Education Grant applications

Coordinated statewide efforts exist to increase parent and caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards purchasing Oregon foods that are promoted in schools

Yes

Source: Oregon Department of Education provides Oregon Harvest for Schools Family Newsletters. 2020

Number of school districts that utilize promotional activities related to local foods: a.) in the school environment, b.) in the community

Source: Data reported by Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Procurement grantees on their Grant Reports covering the 2019-2020 School Year

Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network participation includes: a.) participants from all geographic regions of the state, b.) participation by state agencies (Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Education, Oregon State University Extension), c.) representation from diverse stakeholders including but not limited to: non-profit organizations, farms and food producers, school food services administrators, Commodity Commissions, Future Farmers of America, distributors, youth, public health professionals, educators, people of color, and people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Yes

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Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Summit in 2018. The Network is now over 1700 members strong, and continues to work toward increased diversity of all kinds.

Source: Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network’s participants list. 2020

STATE AGENCY SUPPORT FOR LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOODS

State agency programs and procurement policies support local and regional foods

Funding for farm to school and/or school garden programs and staff within Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon Department of Education: a.) established as permanent/recurring in the state budget, b.) provides resources to these agencies to provide technical assistance and support at the school and district level

Yes

Source: Oregon House Bill 2579 (2019) and Senate Bill 5513 (2021).  Previously 2800 and House Bill 2649 (2007-2008).

Availability of state funding to districts in the state a.) for purchasing Oregon-grown and processed foods, b.) for food-based, agriculture-based, and garden-based educational activities, and c.) established as permanent/recurring in the state budget:

$

Source: $10.2 million was allocated in the 2021 legislative session.

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