Farm to School Initiative Seeks Local Farmers

The Farm to School Initiative is looking for qualified farmers and vendors to submit bids that will deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to various Hawai’i State Department of Education schools.

Local farmers are encouraged to submit their bids by July 13.

Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui, the HIDOE and the Department of Agriculture are working together on the Initiative.

The goal is to address the supply and demand issues surrounding the purchasing of local food in school cafeterias and to increase state purchasing of local food for school menus.

Additionally, the Initiative hopes to connect keiki with their food through the use of products from the local agricultural community.

“With Hawai’i importing about 85% of our food, the Farm to School Initiative is one way we are working towards becoming food sustainable in our state,” said Lt. Governor Tsutsui. “While supporting local farmers and our economy, we are also feeding our students with locally-grown fresh fruit and vegetables.”

There are 256 public schools throughout Hawai’i and the HIDOE’s School Food Services Branch feeds approximately 100,000 students and staff each day.

“We’ve made it a priority to purchase local produce, however, our options have been limited,” said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “We are hopeful that this initiative will allow for more locally-based products to be used in our schools’ food services while keeping costs reasonable.”

“We encourage local farmers to participate in this program,” said Scott Enright, Chairperson of the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture. “One of the challenges farmers face is the uncertainty of supply and demand and this program will help farmers plan and grow their crops with the knowledge that there will be a market for their produce. In addition, keiki will be able to grow up with an appreciation of locally grown fruits and vegetables.”

Across the nation, farm to school programs are giving students an opportunity to understand the food system and where their food comes from. Farm to school programs introduce students to a healthier lifestyle and help them become familiar with new vegetables and fruits that they can incorporate into their own diets.

In April, the Farm to School Initiative gathered information from farmers and ranchers as well as hosted a mixer to inform them on how to become a qualified vendor with the State. Those events, including the IFB, culminates with the Farm to School Initiative Pilot Project, which is expected to begin in 2017.

The invitation for bids (IFB) can be found here.