Ecotrust in the News
Statesman Journal
April 13, 2009
By Ron Eachus
Benefits of farm-to-school program wide-ranging
Salem, OR — Enabling Oregon's school districts to turn their cafeterias into a viable marketplace for Oregon's farmers seems like a "no brainer" proposal that ought to be simple and easy for the Legislature to support. Except that it requires funding.
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A pilot "Farms to Schools" program in Portland and Gervais that provided an additional seven cents per meal for schools to spend has proved successful and demonstrated potential for not only providing healthier food to students but also for stimulating Oregon's economy.
A preliminary analysis by Ecotrust, a Portland-based organization promoting use of locally grown produce in public schools, indicated that the $66,000 provided to the schools resulted in $225,000 in local purchases and that for every dollar the schools spent, an additional 87 cents was spent in Oregon.
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