FAO recognizes that schools are an ideal setting to support the nutrition and development of children and adolescents.

Schools reach children at an age when food and health habits are being formed. They also influence families and can be a channel for wider community participation.

Promoting better diets and nutrition through schools can increase the health and well-being of students and families, creating benefits that extend beyond the classroom to households and communities. Linking school meal programmes to local food production is known as the Home Grown School Feeding approach. This approach can, for example, increase community involvement, strengthen and diversify local food systems, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. 

FAO works with governments to leverage schools’ potential through programmes and policies, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals of food security, nutrition, education and health for everyone.

This work focuses on four main areas: