Investigating the Adoption and Impact of Nutrition Incentive and Farm to School Programs
Lehnerd, Megan E.
2018
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Abstract: The local
food movement represents a small but rapidly growing shift in the demand for local U.S.
agricultural products. Advocates suggest, though evidence is sparse, that local food
systems can have positive effects on local economies, the community, and the
environment. These potential benefits may not be universally experienced, as access and
affordability can be an issue for some ... read moreconsumers. Therefore, this dissertation focused
on two local food programs that provide economic opportunities for farmers and
facilitate more equitable access to local products for consumers - farmers' market
nutrition incentive (FMNI) and farm to school (FTS) programs. The Diffusion of
Innovations (DI) theory framed the quantitative and qualitative methods used to
accomplish the following aims: 1) to describe produce farmer decisions to engage in FMNI
and FTS and perceived barriers and impacts of participation; 2) to describe school
stakeholder decisions to engage in FTS and factors that contributed to program
expansion; and 3) to assess whether food literacy would be a useful measure of FTS
program impact among children. For Aim 1, 155 Mid-Atlantic fruit and vegetable farmers
were surveyed regarding their perceived motivations for and barriers to engaging in FMNI
and FTS programs. Farmers believed that the programs provide advantageous social impact
and economic opportunities. Major barriers included product pricing, customer
engagement, the contracting/bidding process, and other logistics. Three-quarters of
farmers ranked potential social/community impacts as most important to them. For Aim 2,
FTS program adoption and expansion were explored via key informant interviews (n=24) in
eight diverse Massachusetts schools. Initial engagement was motivated by program
compatibility and perceived advantages for academic achievement, increased school meal
participation and improved child health/nutrition. Active integration of FTS into the
classroom, efforts to decrease program complexity, and strong community and parental
support aided program expansion. Leadership and sustainability plans, creative
partnerships for garden maintenance, and participation in the Community Eligibility
Provision are promising strategies to help diffuse FTS programs throughout the U.S. For
Aim 3, food literacy among schoolchildren in FTS program schools was explored as a
potential positive FTS outcome. The novel Tool for Food Literacy Assessment in Children
(TFLAC) was utilized among diverse schoolchildren (n=591), with a mean FL score of
33.95±5.0 (max=40). Modest differences by domain were observed, with more nuanced
variability present with individual questions. Evidence that the TFLAC is useful and can
be feasibly administered provides a novel avenue of comprehensive assessment of the
impact of FTS programs. The results from this applied research have a practical
application for practitioners seeking to improve FMNI and FTS programs. Overall, these
findings suggest that farmers and school stakeholders have similar motivations for
engagement and perceptions of the social/community impacts that could result from FMNI
and FTS programs. By addressing FMNI barriers of price and program administration and
FTS barriers of funding, time, and the bidding/contracting process, both producers and
consumers may be able to readily participate. Future evaluations should better align
outcome measures with the FMNI and FTS goals reported by stakeholders. Additionally,
more longitudinal assessments of community and school-based outcomes are needed,
including food literacy. Such evidence would inform policy and research decisions and
guide FMNI and FTS diffusion within the context of the U.S. local food
movement.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2018.
Submitted to the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
Advisor: Jennifer Sacheck.
Committee: Sean Cash, Jeanne Goldberg, and Timothy Griffin.
Keywords: Nutrition, Agriculture education, and Public health.read less - ID:
- 1n79hg80q
- Component ID:
- tufts:26066
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
