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Bringing the FARM to the SCHOOL One way to ensure students have access to fresh food at all times, is to bring the farm to the school through hydroponic farming. | by Fork Farms LISTEN 5 min
of other foods on-site, quickly, efficiently, affordably and all year long. Indoor hydroponic farming requires minimal water and energy resources, eliminates food transportation miles, and produces almost zero food waste due to the quality and shelf-life of the produce. In addition to growing fresh food year-round, the Flex Farm also offers hands-on learning opportunities for students in the areas of: STEM, nutrition, agriculture, sustainability and health, therefore growing both minds and bodies. Flex Farms are currently growing in more than 900 K-12 schools and have helped school districts save many thousands of dollars in food costs by growing 80 percent or more of their fresh greens on-site. The introduction of Flex Farms in schools offers the opportunity for students to help maintain the farms and learn valuable lifelong skills - students get to see the fruits of their labor from germination to harvesting within a 30-day grow cycle. Students can engage in activities such as: setting up and maintaining the hydroponic farms, preparing nutrient solutions, determining crop cycles and crop propagation, and monitoring the conditions necessary for plant growth. Case studies also prove that indoor hydroponic growing in schools helps to increase children’s willingness to try fresh fruits and vegetables because they are involved in the growing process and take on a sense of ownership. Initiating a Farm to School program and maintaining a Flex Farm is much more simple than many think. One Flex Farm will produce almost 400 pounds of leafy greens in one year in 9 square feet of space and requires only two hours per month to maintain. Fork Farms provides all of the tools and supplies needed, as well as end-to-end support from the team of hydroponics experts and access to the Farmative community that enables easy collaboration with other
Schools are back in session and this school year, with a handful of states having passed universal free school meals, schools will be feeding more students during the day than ever before. While schools struggle with things like high food costs and persistent supply chain disruptions, they are also faced with meeting new, higher nutrition standards. One way to ensure students have access to fresh food at all times, is to bring the farm to the school through hydroponic farming. The USDA defines the term “farm to school” as a variety of activities conducted by child nutrition program administrators that connect students with the source of their food, improve health and education outcomes, promote equity in the food system, and inspire youth toward careers in agriculture. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil in a nutrient-rich water solution. Indoor hydroponic farms, such as the Flex Farm from Fork Farms, are a safe and environmentally friendly way to produce significant quantities of fresh lettuce, greens, herbs and a variety
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