A Coordinated Food Hub Network and Farm to Institution Program: Building Bridges between Small Local Farmers and Institutions in New York State Capital Region

This project proposes to develop a Local Food Cooperation (LFC) program that integrates (1) a state-level food hub network that enables the coordination of multiple regional food hubs, and (2) regional Farm to Institution programs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will work with two regional food hubs— Capital Roots from New York State Capital Region (NYSCR) and Headwater from the Rochester area, and the FTI program in NYSCR—to provide a platform for information exchange and, possibly, trading so that food hubs in different regions can collaboratively leverage the surpluses to provide a stable supply, addressing regional food insecurity and inequity.