A school food program doesn’t have to start with a big budget, a greenhouse, or a perfect plan. We’re joined by Carolyn Webb from Farm to Cafeteria Canada to talk about the small, practical moves that make food literacy come alive in Canadian schools, especially in Family Studies and foods classrooms where students are ready to learn by doing.

We unpack Farm to Cafeteria Canada’s four pillars (grow, connect, fund, inform) and what they look like on the ground: windowsill growing, sprouts, hydroponics, milk-crate gardens students can take home for summer, and simple ways to build momentum when space, time, and climate feel like brick walls. Carolyn also shares what makes school garden programs and farm to school initiatives sustainable over time: shared leadership, clear roles, and community partners who actually want to be part of the learning.

We also dig into grant opportunities that can turn a “someday” idea into a real school food program, including Farm to School Canada grants, starter funding like Dig In, and Indigenous Foodways support that centres Indigenous food sovereignty, land-based learning, and reciprocity with elders and knowledge keepers. Along the way, we talk student engagement, culturally relevant menus, and how local sustainable food purchasing can ripple beyond the cafeteria.

If you’re ready to start small and build something meaningful, listen now, share this with a colleague, and subscribe, rate, and review the podcast so more educators can find these ideas. What’s one food literacy project you want to try next?

Here are some of the links and resources Carolyn shared in the episode.

• Farm to Cafeteria Canada Resource Centre – has videos, toolkits, other resources on a range of themes relevant to farm to school programs
• Local Food Literacy in Schools FAQ (Sustain Ontario)
• Farm to Cafeteria Canada grant opportunities (we have 2 open grant offerings – Farm to School Canada Grants and Indigenous Foodways in Schools Grants – due May 8.
• National School Food Forum – to be held June 2-4, 2026 in Montreal
• Inspiring stories on the F2CC website

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