Pa. Schools, Farmers Create
Programs
February 12, 2002
Associated Press
Dan Lewerenz
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- According to this story, the Pennsylvania
Association for Sustainable Agriculture is working to help local schools and farmers come
together to create not only menus, but educational programs. Association
executive director Brian Snyder was quoted as saying Saturday at the group's
annual convention that, "I'm probably most concerned that lunch usually is
not considered an educational time in schools. The teaching stops, and kids are
taken to the cafeteria; then the teaching starts again when they get back to the
classroom. We want to make lunch part of the learning process."
Antonia Demas, director of the Trumansburg, N.Y.-based Food Studies Institute,
which works to integrate nutritious foods into school curricula, was quoted as
saying, "Food is not something trite. Food is of great value and
substance."
Demas, who shows students how to use math when measuring for recipes,
demonstrates scientific principles such as the difference between acids and come
in. By supplying produce both for cafeteria and classroom use, farmers find a
market for their crops while also contributing to a nutritious menu. Snyder was
quoted as saying, "It isn't a new idea," noting that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has supported such programs for years. "But some
other states are way ahead of Pennsylvania in this regard. We'd like to see
more programs started here."
On the Net: http://www.pasafarming.org
