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Abstract
Farm-to-school (FTS) programs continue to create opportunities for students to access fresh,local, and nutritious food through edible garden programs and serving locally sourced foods.
Among the barriers to these programs are educators’ need for horticulture and nutrition
education knowledge, which prompts the need for professional development. Grow It Know It
(GIKI), a USDA-funded FTS teacher training program, has hosted nine trainings for educators in
Northeast Georgia participating in FTS since 2018. This thesis evaluates the program’s pilot
years (2018-2020) and conducts a Photovoice study with seven participants to better understand
the impact of the program. Using a mixed methods approach, the results of both studies
demonstrate that the GIKI program created an effective professional development model,
increased participants’ confidence and self-efficacy, and identified persistent barriers such as
recruiting colleagues to support an FTS program at their school. This thesis concludes with
recommendations for future FTS professional development programs.