The Chenango Valley Central School District is grateful to receive $10,000 as part of a grant to further enhance farm-to-school initiatives for students.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County (CCE-BC), in partnership with Broome-Tioga BOCES School Nutrition Services and the Food and Health Network (FaHN), a program of the Rural Health Network of South Central New York, was one of nine projects in the country to be awarded under the USDA-NIFA Food and Ag Service-Learning Program (FASLP) grant that will provide significant support to local school districts.

The USDA-NIFA-FASLP grant will support essential garden materials, fostering the growth of school gardens and enriching educational opportunities for students. It aims to teach students about agricultural science and healthy eating. School gardens help students grow their own produce and learn about food systems, nutrition, and sustainability.

Chenango Valley is one of eight Broome and Tioga County school districts that have signed on to participate in the school garden initiative. Participating districts will also receive specialized training from New York State Ag in the Classroom, focused on the effective use of growing towers and racks to optimize garden spaces and maximize produce yields. In addition, this project has established partnerships with Binghamton University and the Rural Health Service Corps (AmeriCorps).

Chenango Valley is excited about the future educational opportunities this grant will bloom in our district.