Bridging the Gap From Farm to Table Why Today's Youth are Disconnected and How Extension Can Reconnect Them

Authors

• Melissa L Bright, Rutgers UniversityFollow

Volume

64

Issue

2

Abstract

Despite growing interest in food sustainability, many youth remain unaware of where their food comes from and how it reaches their plates. The farm-to-table movement, intended to connect consumers with local producers, has not effectively engaged the youth demographic. This article advocates for Extension to reframe agricultural education by integrating farm-to-table literacy into youth programs, especially in non-rural areas. It outlines factors contributing to youth disengagement and challenges Extension to take a proactive role in cultivating a generation that not only consumes food but understands its origins, processes, and sustainability implications.

Authors’ Contribution Statement

Melissa Bright conceptualized the commentary, developed the central themes and arguments, conducted the supporting literature review, and drafted the manuscript. She reviewed and revised the manuscript for intellectual content, incorporated relevant Extension practice and programmatic perspectives, and approved the final version for publication. Melissa Bright accepts responsibility for the content and integrity of the work.

Data Availability

No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest. The author has no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose related to this manuscript.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Bright, M. (2026). Bridging the Gap From Farm to Table Why Today's Youth are Disconnected and How Extension Can Reconnect Them. Journal of Extension, 64(2), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.66752/1077-5315.9329