West virginia's farming community is aging, and fewer young people are preparing to enter food and agriculture careers

The West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition Inc. received a $240,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (CFDA 10.522), awarded on September 15, 2025, with a completion date of September 14, 2027. The "Roots and Routes" program addresses West Virginia's aging farming population and youth workforce development challenges while simultaneously helping school districts meet state requirements to source at least 5% of food locally. The initiative delivers paid high school internships combining classroom instruction with hands-on agricultural training, enabling students to develop practical skills in food production, sourcing, and leadership while working directly with farmers, school food service staff, and new processing facilities.

Beyond the internship experience, the project generates scalable, replicable products including curriculum materials, best practice guides, and administrator toolkits designed for statewide implementation across multiple counties. Interns present their work to state education and school nutrition leaders, ensuring youth perspectives inform future farm-to-school policy and programming. By connecting student participants with agriculture and food systems career pathways, supporting schools in meeting local procurement goals, and expanding market opportunities for West Virginia-grown foods such as fresh produce and eggs, the program delivers a comprehensive, long-term model addressing workforce development, food security, and economic benefits across rural Appalachian communities.

At the same time, schools are required by state law to purchase at least five percent of their food locally, but many districts struggle to meet this goal. The roots and routes program addresses both challenges by building a pipeline of youth agricultural talent through paid high school internships that combine classroom instruction with hands-on training. Interns will work with farmers, school food staff, and new processing facilities to develop practical skills in food production, sourcing, and leadership, while helping schools increase the amount of west virginia-grown foods such as fresh produce and eggs in their meal programs. This pilot program is designed to be scalable statewide, working with districts and the department of education to determine how students can earn high school credit while gaining paid experience in agriculture and food systems. Interns will present their work to state education and school nutrition leaders, ensuring youth voices inform future farm-to-school efforts. The project will also produce curriculum, best practice guides, and administrator toolkits to make the program replicable across other counties. By preparing students for careers, supporting schools in meeting local food requirements, and expanding markets for west virginia farmers, roots and routes offers a practical, long-term model with benefits for communities across the state.