Programs

Purdue Programs

We have a number of programs available and in development for local food at Purdue Extension. The Educators in your local County Extension Office will be able to connect you with these Purdue Resources.

Rebuilding Your Local Food System

This is a six-month asset-based approach to community-oriented learning, networking and prioritizing work in your community food system. Facilitated meetings, community-wide events and project planning enable a core group to develop a project proposal that could be submitted to a granting or funding agency.

Economic Viability of Shared-Use Kitchens

Working with kitchen incubators, rental kitchens and community kitchens, this research and extension project is funded by SARE. A toolkit for people exploring starting a shared-use kitchen as well as trips to successful operating kitchens will help clients and Educators across Indiana access primary information from practitioners in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.

New online course for Food Council Development

Funded from the North Central Rural Center for Regional Development, this project in collaboration with Michigan State University will create a toolkit, videos and information for communities interested in starting a food council. Special attention on rural food council development and inclusion of a broad set of food system issues will be a part of this written and video-driven learning program.

Urban Agriculture Certificate

Funded by Purdue Extension, this three-part series will address production, enterprise management and community topics essential for today’s urban farmers. A flipped classroom model with online learning and videos, accompanied by workshops and field trips to apply learned topics is the platform from which growers and garden managers will create a production plan, business and marketing plan and/or community engagement plan.

Local Food Summits

Communities across Indiana are hosting and participating in Local Food Summits where people are learning, networking and sharing across the community food system. These events are a great launching point for the Rebuilding Program, also offered by Purdue Extension.

Indiana Food Summit

In 2016 and 2017, Purdue Extension, along with many partnering organizations, hosted the Indiana Local Food Summit. This event provided learning, networking and sharing opportunities for the people, communities and organizations working to create an Indiana food system that is more resilient, economically vibrant and diverse. Attendees learned about new topics and were able to take a deep dive into learning and professional development as well as share about their own community work. Everyone who attended is working to create more vibrant food systems in our communities to increase the quality of life for all residents, making healthy food and food access all part of the equation.

Market Basket 360

The Market Basket 360 initiative will assemble comprehensive resources for Farmers’ Markets in Indiana, including technical assistance for market managers, education for market vendors and interactive learning events for market attendees. This initiative addresses three Extension Strategic Initiatives: Expanding agriculture-related opportunities; strengthening workforce, business, and economic development; and promoting healthy living. Contact the Educator in your County to learn more about upcoming opportunities and events in your area.

Farm to School

Farm to School in Indiana is growing! The Indiana Harvest resources will bring together the information and go-to resources needed to initiate and move forward with farm to school in your area. Visual aides, curricula, food education and shared creative resources will be available on the local food website. Training through SARE starting in May 2017 will enable Farm to School Action Committees, comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, school food service professionals and wellness policy personnel, to learn, assess and develop a comprehensive short and long term plan for implementing farm to school in their school or district. Five action committees will be able to attend the 2017 training, chosen by application process.

Foodlink

FoodLink is an easy-to-use, produce database that delivers useful information regarding preparation and storage of different items, as well as nutrition facts, selection tips, food pairings, and background information. The database can be accessed online or by scanning the QR codes at farmers markets with a smartphone. If you are looking for information about a specific fruit or vegetable, simply click on the respective tab at the top of the website, and select the item you’re looking for. If you’re having trouble finding it, you can use the drop-down menus on the top right side of the page to organize the selections alphabetically.

Save Produce Indiana

Safe Produce Indiana serves fruit and vegetable growers and consumers in the state by educating them about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. In order to achieve this goal, we have gathered together resources that address the FDA, the FSMA, the Produce Safety Rule, the Produce Safety Alliance, water safety and compliance training.