Leadership & Professional Development
All Oregon early childhood education professionals, K–12 Child Nutrition Program staff, educators, and school administrators have access to leadership and professional development opportunities that advance their ability to implement and institutionalize farm to school and school garden programming in their role.
The number of career pathways and jobs that institutionalize farm to school and school garden policies and practices will increase over the next decade and be equitably distributed across the state.
Background
Successful implementation of the first four goals in this plan requires a workforce of values-aligned child nutrition professionals, educators, and food producers equipped with the tools to be change-makers in their field. For many years, farm to school practitioners were existing teachers and child nutrition professionals who saw the benefit to students of putting local foods on the lunch tray or using school gardens as a teaching tool.
As interest in farm to school efforts has grown, a new crop of specialized positions in the sector has emerged, with nonprofits, government agencies, early childhood education sites, and school districts building and staffing programs with professionals whose roles focus on food education and farm to institution efforts.
Advancing Oregon’s farm to school movement in the next decade requires strategic support for both of these career pathways—equipping new and existing professionals in relevant roles, like education and school nutrition, to lead farm to school initiatives, and building a diverse field of emerging farm to school specialists.
This area of work identifies ways to focus resources over the next decade to build a workforce of dedicated changemakers in the key sectors that influence the way students experience and learn about food in schools. Implementing the strategies for this goal will result in school food leaders who are prepared to influence the food culture, meal environments, and local purchasing; administrators who integrate, elevate, and celebrate food's influence on the whole child; and educators who weave garden and nutrition education into the fabric of curriculum and school culture.
Our Strategic Approach
Strategy #1
Create new district and site-based positions in farm to school, food and garden-based education, and/or school nutrition.
SAMPLE APPROACHES
- Compile case studies of successful farm to school and school garden positions across the state and country.
- Identify vocational best practices.
- Pilot funding for farm to school coordinators on school, Education Service District, or district level, and evaluate impact.
- Create a credentialing or certification pathway in agriculture, food and garden-based education, and/or farm to school coordination.
- Develop funding streams for new district and site-based positions in farm to school, food education, and school nutrition.
Strategy #2
Grow, sustain, and support early childhood education and K–12 education professionals to advance their ability to implement farm to school and school garden programming in their roles.
SAMPLE APPROACHES
- Offer culturally responsive and flexible training and professional development to support K–12 and early childhood education educators, administrators, and counselors in using farm to school and school gardens to achieve district standards and goals.
- Increase the number of opportunities for teachers and early childhood educators to receive continuing education for farm to school and school garden–focused professional development.
- Ensure continued investment in both statewide and place-based networking, training, and professional development opportunities for practitioners who provide school garden, food, and agricultural education.
- Assess opportunities for embedding farm to school, garden education, and food literacy into education and school administration degree and accreditation programs.
- Assess the breadth of Career and Technical Education programs that touch on food, garden, and agricultural careers in Oregon, and develop the capacity of these programs to encourage students to explore careers in food and garden education.
- Advocate for equitable wages for professionals in the sector.
Strategy #3
Grow, sustain, and support professionals working in Child Nutrition Programs to implement and institutionalize farm to school and food and garden-based education in their roles.
SAMPLE APPROACHES
- Offer culturally responsive and flexible training and professional development for continuing education to support existing Child Nutrition Program professionals in using farm to school and school gardens to achieve district and site-level goals, especially increasing the number of menu items that feature Oregon-grown or processed, culturally relevant, and scratch-cooked foods.
- Increase opportunities for school nutrition professionals to earn continuing education credits that focus on farm to school, culturally relevant meals, local purchasing, and scratch cooking, and school gardens.
- Identify pathways for leadership development for cafeteria workers and nutrition services professionals to advance into Child Nutrition Program leadership roles.
- Assess the breadth of Culinary Arts and Career and Technical Education programs in Oregon, and develop the capacity of these programs to encourage students to explore careers in child nutrition.
- Assess opportunities for encouraging students in Culinary Arts and hospitality management programs in Oregon to see farm to school program implementation and child nutrition as a career path.
- Advocate for equitable wages for professionals in the sector.
Progress Indicators
0%
of Child Nutrition Programs have at least one full- or part-time staff person working on farm to school efforts0%
of Child Nutrition Programs are training school food service staff on farm to school topics0
people attended the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Conference in 2024.
Totals do not add to 100% due to rounding
The primary roles of those attendees include:
Source: Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Conference Registration Data (2024)
17
school, district, and Early Care and Education teams participated in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education Institutes
BRIGHT SPOTS
Oregon Farm to School Institute Brings Teams Together for Year-Long Professional Development and Action Planning
How Michelle Markesteyn Built Oregon’s Farm to School Movement From School Gardens to State Policy
How School Wellness Policies Connect Farm to School Programs Across Oregon Districts
Oregon Educators Learn Traditional Foods Curriculum Through 10-Month Indigenous Plant Teaching Cohort
Oregon’s Coastal Waters Meet School Cafeterias: How Three Regional Events Connected Fishers with Student Meals
We want to celebrate and share all the amazing Farm to School work in Oregon. Whether you're a teacher connecting students with their food, a nutrition director sourcing local ingredients, or a community member supporting school gardens, your story matters and deserves to be shared.