Farm-to-School Programming in South Carolina: An Economic Impact Projection Analysis

The Economic Impacts of Local and Conventional Food Sales

“…Swenson's 2009 and 2011 studies reduce imports by a value equal to the increased local food consumption, but the 2008 study does not consider the displacement of expenditures required to increase the nutritional intake of residents. Studies by Henneberry, Whitacre, and Agustini (2009), Holland et al (2015), Miller et al (2015), Otto and Varner (2005), Sharp et al (2011), and Watson et al (unpublished) did not consider the displacement effects. This last category of studies measures the size of the sector's imprint on the economic activity, but not the net contribution to sales, income, or employment.…”

“…Research can also be divided between those that used survey-based data on local food producers and/or consumers (Henneberry, Whitacre, and Agustini, 2009;Jablonski and Schmit, 2016;Jablonski, Schmit, and Kay, 2015;Otto and Varner, 2005) versus those that used data on conventional producers (Conner et al, 2008;Holland et al, 2015;Martinez et al, 2010;Miller et al, 2015;Sharp et al, 2011;Swenson, 2008;Watson et al, unpublished). A third group of studies modified the intersectoral relationships of conventional producers to better reflect the economic linkages of local food producers (Hughes and Isengildina-Massa, 2015;Hughes et al, 2008;Kane et al, 2010;Swenson, 2006Swenson, , 2008Swenson, , 2009Swenson, , 2011.…”

“…Given these definitional and methodological issues, research on the economic impacts of local food systems can be roughly divided into those that define local foods on the basis of their marketing methods (Boys and Hughes, 2013; Henneberry, Whitacre, and Agustini, 2009; Holland et al, 2015; Hughes and Boys, 2015; Hughes and Isengildina-Massa, 2015; Hughes et al, 2008; Jablonski and Schmit, 2016; Jablonski, Schmit, and Kay, 2015; Kane et al, 2010; Martinez et al, 2010; Otto and Varner, 2005; Swenson, 2006) versus those that define local foods as any food produced and consumed locally (Conner et al, 2008; Miller et al, 2015; Sharp et al, 2011; Swenson, 2009, 2011; P. Watson, D. Kay, G. Alward, S. Cooke, and A. Morales, unpublished). This distinction is important because the linkages between the sellers and their communities can be quite different.…”

Economic impact assessment of public incentives to support farm-to-school food purchases

“…For some school districts, itemized purchasing data may not be available unless specifically requested. Indeed, some estimates of economic impacts from FTS programs analyze hypothetical or anticipated changes in economic activity (e.g., Holland et al, 2015;Tuck et al, 2010;Haynes, 2009). Others have utilized food marketing data from example school districts to identify likely suppliers (Gunter, 2011), consider aggregate farm sales data (Kluson, 2012), or assume a change in local institutional spending to estimate economic impacts (Roche et al, 2016).…”

Aiding farm to school implementation: An assessment of facilitation mechanisms

“…School gardens specifically are associated with improved engagement and academic achievement (Klemmer, Waliczek, and Zajicek 2005;Smith and Motsenbecker 2005;Berezowitz, Bontrager Yoder, and Schoeller 2015). On a community level, farm to school programs can positively impact the local economy (Tuck et al 2010;Kane et al 2011;Bauman and Thilmany McFadden 2017), lead to increased employment (Kluson, 2012;Pesch and Bhattacharyya 2014;Holland et al 2015;Roche et al 2016;Christensen, Jablonski, and O'Hara 2017) and provide revenue streams for individual farmers (Izumi, Wright, and Hamm 2010;Long et al 2021).…”