Abstract
Since 2002, over 60 local food procurement incentive bills for schools and early care sites have been introduced in state legislatures, and 23 have passed. While these bills promise benefits to children, schools, and producers, limited data collection and evaluation make it difficult to assess the true impacts of these policies’ implementation. Data and evaluation focused on the equity impacts of these bills are especially sparse. In this commentary, the authors provide recommendations for improving data collection and evaluation of these local food incentive bills in order to inform and advance more equitable farm-to-school policy and programs.
Highlights
Between 2002 and 2020, 61 state-level local food procurement incentive bills for schools or early care sites were introduced, and 23 passed
Evaluation is essential to assessing the impact and effectiveness of farm-to-school policy and informing future efforts
Evaluation should include data collection and analysis on the racial equity impacts of farm-to-school policies and programs to identify potential gaps in demographic reach, degree of cultural relevance, and impact on children of color and producers of color. This level of policy analysis is vital to developing future farm-to-school policies and approaches that correct instead of perpetuate racist and oppressive systems
Summary
Citation: Giombi, K., & Stephens, L. (2022). Racial equity in local food incentive programs: Examining gaps in data and evaluation. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2022.112.002
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