1. Making Local Sourcing Standard Practice: Lessons From Michigan
- Author
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Kathryn Colasanti, Kaitlin K. Wojciak, and Colleen Matts
- Subjects
State (polity) ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Learning community ,Supply chain ,Institution ,Organizational culture ,Food systems ,Business ,Marketing ,Child development ,Purchasing ,media_common - Abstract
The Michigan Farm to Institution Network, co-coordinated by Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and Ecology Center, has brought together a learning community of hundreds of people that includes buyers, farmers, suppliers, vendors, advocates, and scholars. The Network’s Cultivate Michigan campaign has engaged more than sixty institutions in committing to purchasing twenty percent of their food from Michigan by 2020. This chapter discusses three key aspects of Network efforts that have been instrumental in advancing farm-to-institution activity across Michigan: state government policy; non-profit and extension facilitation; and supply chain partnerships. Following these keys to progress are three case studies of institutions weaving local food sourcing into their organizational culture: a child development center, a juvenile detention facility, and a hospital. We conclude by reflecting on these collective efforts and the challenges on the horizon.
- Published
- 2019
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