The following is a press release written by Heather Tallman for Farmwise Indiana.
FARMWISE Indiana, a new service-oriented program powered by Builders Initiative within Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, is transforming how local food reaches local plates across Indiana.
Founded by Jodee Smith, FARMWISE Indiana mobilizes a team of seasoned value chain professionals located throughout the state. Their mission: connect Indiana’s farmers and food producers with institutional buyers- including schools, universities, restaurants, retail outlets, and healthcare providers- 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 Smith. “We’re focused on making local food a bigger part of Indiana’s economy and identity.”
With a focus on sustainability, industry engagement, and economic resilience, the program promotes local food procurement that supports small and mid-sized farms while meeting the growing demand for fresh, regional products.
The initiative seeks to grow institutional demand and create reliable markets, fostering 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.
More than 50% of food service buyers surveyed define local as being grown or made in Indiana. Those 200 buyers are spending more than $550 million purchasing food each year. Substituting food grown and made in our state can boost our food economy.
According to our survey, buyers are motivated to buy local because of quality, freshness, and taste, however lack of time and challenges buying local through distributors are the top barriers for buyers.
The FARMWISE Indiana project is funded by a grant from Builders’ Initiative and has many partners in the state including the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), Indiana State Department of Health (IDOH), Indiana State Department of Education (IDOE), Purdue Extension, Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education through the USDA (SARE), Northwest Indiana Food Council, Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, Food and Growers Association, Urban Seeds, Fischer Farms LLC, Partners in Food and Farming (PIFF).
To learn more about FARMWISE Indiana and how to get involved, visit: https://eri.iu.edu/programs/farmwise-indiana.html
