BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— A new program from Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute is bringing local farmers closer to the dinner table.
FARMWISE Indiana is the new service-oriented program powered by the Builders initiative within the institute. The program mobilizes a team of value chain professionals located throughout the state. Their job will be to connect Indiana’s farmers and food producers with institutional buyers like schools, universities, restaurants, retail outlets, and healthcare providers. They plan on doing this by increasing access to value-based procurement pathways.
“FARMWISE Indiana is about building relationships that benefit everyone from farmers and food
producers to the communities they nourish,” said Jodee Smith, founder of the program. “We’re focused on making local food a bigger part of Indiana’s economy and identity.”
The program focuses on sustainability, industry engagement, and economic resilience. The program is a way to promote local food procurement to support small and mid-sized farms while meeting the growing demand for fresh, regional products. The initiative hopes to grow the institutional demand and create reliable markets to foster a more connected, climate-resilient, and locally rooted food economy.
According to the USDA Ag Census, sales from farmers to wholesale buyers increased 280% from 2017 to 2022, totaling more than $305 million. The news release states that more than 50% of food service buyers surveyed define local as being grown or made in Indiana, and those 200 buyers are currently spending more than $550 million purchasing food each year.
To learn more about FARMWISE Indiana and how to get involved, you can click this link.
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