System Mapping of Farm-to-School Partnerships to Enhance Student Access to Healthy, Local Foods

Melissa Guillen and Katherine E. Soule ()
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Melissa Guillen: Cooperative Extension in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, USA
Katherine E. Soule: Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 9, 1-25

Abstract: Farm-to-school (F2S) partnerships connect schools with local producers to enhance student access to healthy, local foods and support regional food systems. Despite widespread implementation, few studies have examined the system-level structures that facilitate effective and sustainable F2S efforts across diverse community contexts. This study utilized a mixed-methods system mapping approach to analyze four F2S systems on California’s Central Coast. Data sources included public data sources, in-person site observations, and local expert resources. The researchers hypothesized that successful F2S systems would share core features that support implementation and long-term sustainability, including aligned values among stakeholders, the presence of identified champions, and multi-directional pathways for food procurement and communication. They constructed system maps and compared them in order to identify both common structural features and context-specific adaptations. Findings support the hypothesis and highlight the critical role of community-based organizations and distributors and/or aggregators in brokering relationships, coordinating resources, and reducing administrative burdens. Institutionalization through wellness policy integration and district-level support further distinguished higher-functioning systems. Identified barriers included inequities in procurement infrastructure, limited funder engagement, and uneven access to local food sources. System mapping offers a valuable tool to understand, strengthen, and scale equitable F2S implementation.

Keywords: farm-to-school; student nutrition; nutrition behaviors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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