Our Impact
Northeast Indiana Local Food System Needs Assessment
Since 2024, the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network has dedicated countless hours of staff and volunteer time to a thoughtful, data-driven, year-long effort aimed at fostering a shared understanding of the needs within Northeast Indiana’s Local Food System. This initiative sought to enhance awareness, understanding, and appreciation throughout the region through engagement with over 500 residents. Additionally, the planning process helped local stakeholders find ways to strengthen the local food system's capacity and resilience, and to support all communities. The research for this report offers valuable insights that can guide strategy development and resource investment to advance local food system efforts.
Call to Action for Northeast Indiana
This is a pivotal moment for Northeast Indiana to transform its local food system. Achieving this will require a collective, region-wide effort, offering significant rewards for all collaborators. We call upon community organizations, local governments, funders, and residents to align their efforts and resources. By working together, we can build a resilient local food system that benefits everyone, fostering economic growth, improving public health, and enhancing community well-being.
Healthy and Obtainable Local Food
Our goal is to increase the amount of healthy, nutritious, local food that is readily obtainable by low-income, low-access families in Northeast Indiana. We collaborate with partners across Northeast Indiana and beyond to cultivate a resilient local food system that connects our communities, reduces food insecurity, creates prosperity for our farms, and nourishes all our families.
Annual Local Food Week
Since 2020, our annual 10-day celebration has brought hundreds of families and local food enthusiasts closer to farmers through a shared love of food. This initiative creates direct connections, enabling participants to discover where their food comes from and meet the dedicated people who grow it. By hosting engaging experiences at local farms, markets, and restaurants, we strengthen our local food system and support our farming community. This celebration significantly enriches lives by fostering a deeper connection to the food we eat.
Local Food Guide
Our searchable, online Local Food Guide strengthens the local food system by making it easier for you to find and support local farms and businesses. This increased accessibility boosts the economic viability for our local producers and encourages more local food production and fosters a stronger sense of community around food, promoting healthier eating habits and environmental sustainability.
Farm to School
Farm to School programs enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by enhancing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites. The implementation of Farm to School programs differs by location, but always includes one or more of the following: Procurement: Local foods are purchased, promoted, and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test; Education: Students participate in educational activities related to agriculture, food, health, or nutrition; and School Gardens: Students engage in hands-on learning through gardening. Farm to School empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities.
Local Food Networking Events
Our Local Food Networking events unite diverse stakeholders, fostering vital connections among farmers, producers, buyers, and supporters. By facilitating these relationships, we directly strengthen the economic viability of local food businesses, creating a more robust and resilient regional food economy. This program ultimately increases access to local foods for consumers, building a stronger, more interconnected local food system in Northeast Indiana.
Technical Assistance
Our partnership with The Indiana Food Business Consultants (IFBC) Cohort strengthens Northeast Indiana's food economy by training consultants in our region to provide specialized support to farm and food businesses. This initiative creates a more coordinated and accessible system, helping entrepreneurs and producers with financial management, market development, and resource navigation. This unique technical assistance program empowers businesses to scale effectively within the complex food economy.