A zusa Unified School District Nutrition Services De - partment has focused on working closely with lo - cal farmers to promote Farm to School in the Dis- trict. One of the farmers Azusa USD has partnered with in the 23-24 school year is Old Grove Orange Farm in Redlands California. The farm is less than an hour’s drive from Azusa. To incorporate the Nutri- tion Education Component, the District used LACP funding to bring a mini farmer’s market to each ele - mentary school. The goal is to teach students who is growing their food and how their food is grown. The impact was noticed right away. Pre K- 5 students visited the mini farmer’s market. Not only did they get an insight about a day in the life of a farmer, they learned about the super powers of fresh fruits and vegetables and got to shop at the farmers market and take 3 fruits and vegetables home. We instantly noticed the students taking more fruits and vegeta - bles at lunch time right after their farm day. The farmer arrives before school starts to set up our “Mini Farmers’Market” inside an empty classroom or library. It looks just like a real market! • The day is broken into 25-minute sessions, with 2 classes per session (~60-70 students) until we finish with the whole school. • The farmer will introduce the kiddos to our farm and describe a day in our life! Depending on the age group, the farmer talks about our chickens, regenerative grazing (aka sheep!), and how we make compost, you name it. • The farmer will introduce 3 fruits and 3 vegeta- bles available at the market that day, and de - scribe each one’s nutritional “superpower.” • Students will then shop the market for three items of their choice to capture the superpowers they just learned about! • Each session is approximately ~25 minutes, fol- lowed by a 5-10 minute passing period. WHY DO IT? • Who is growing their food how their food is grown • Where they can find fruits and vegetables out - side of school • How farmers’ markets work • How to shop for nutritional value Through the MFM, kids can learn about nutrition. It is also a great way to let parents know that their school is supporting local farmers and that the fruits and vegetables it serves are top-quality and super fresh!
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