Tiltai

The article analyses the prospects for small and medium-size farms relating to the development of the ‘From Farm to School’ model in the Klaipėda region. The research aimed to reveal the possibilities for involving farmers in the Klaipėda region in cooperation with educational institutions in order to provide them with farm products/services. Questions relevant to the study were discussed during a focused group discussion with representatives of small and medium-size farms in the Klaipėda region: Are farmers interested in providing services and products to educational institutions? How do they evaluate the public procurement system? What are the possible cooperation opportunities and obstacles? etc. The results show that the needs and expectations for cooperation between Klaipėda region farmers, municipal employees and educational institutions as buyers of services basically coincide. The participants in the research agreed that the food from local growers is good, and they would like children to be fed quality food from local farms in schools. However, the results of the study assumed the insufficient literacy of small and medium-size farmers in order to effectively develop cooperation with educational institutions. Therefore, the article aims to raise awareness of representatives of small and medium-size farms and all interested groups about the ‘From Farm to School’ model, which could have an impact on the better involvement of farmers, and strengthen the connection between local farming communities and educational institutions. Better awareness could help to develop targeted actions of interested parties in order to shorten food supply chains, improve the quality of food in school meals, and promote the supply of products from small and medium-size farms to educational institutions in the Klaipėda region. The research also aims to contribute to the goals of the national Sustainable Development Strategy, by developing knowledge on how it is possible to preserve or restore natural ecosystems with the help of the activities and services of small and medium-size farms.