Open AccessThe Feasibility of Farmer-Led Cooperatives for Southwest Florida Farm to School Procurement
Author(s) -
J. A. S. Watson,
Danielle Treadwell,
Catherine Campbell,
R. A. Bucklin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
edis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2576-0009
DOI - 10.32473/edis-ae555-2021
Subject(s) - procurement , watson , business , agriculture , distribution (mathematics) , service (business) , agribusiness , agricultural science , marketing , food service , agricultural economics , geography , economics , archaeology , environmental science , computer science , mathematical analysis , mathematics , natural language processing
Florida’s K–12 schools provide a potential opportunity to increase market channel options for small- and mid-sized diversified farms, but processing, storage, and distribution resources are extremely limited for smaller producers. This 9-page document serves as a model and case study with steps for producers and other stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study before forming a cooperative to sell local fruits and vegetables to schools and other institutional food-service outlets. Written by Jonathan Adam Watson, Danielle D. Treadwell, Catherine Campbell, and Ray Bucklin, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, March 2021.