“Your transportation cost is low. And you don’t have to go to use a broker or a seller that will take a commission off of you.”
Money stays in the local economy and school kids get fresh food. It is easy to see why farm-to-school programs have spread fast. In 1997, six American states had such programs. Now all 50 states include them.
But the United States is not the world leader in the movement. Carmen Burbano is with the World Food Program. She says Brazil is the biggest farm-to-school success. It is linked to the “zero-hunger” anti-poverty policy of former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
“One of the cornerstones of that plan was the school feeding program. But in 2009, they realized that this program, which was costing the government quite a bit of money, could also help to connect that program with family farmers.”
The program now requires that 30 percent of school meals come from local farmers. It has been so successful that Brazil is now helping several African countries set up their own programs to help young students and farmers.
And that’s As It Is for today.
I’m Caty Weaver. Thanks for listening. What would you like to hear about on our show? Let us know. Go to our website, learningenglish.voanews.com. You’ll find a “contact us” link on the page.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25