Making it Easier to Buy - and Sell - Locally
August 31st, 2007
The popularity of farmers markets – and locally grown, organic foods in general – has been rapidly rising for some time now. With its environmental friendliness, positive health implications, and economic benefits, the movement has many backers. And now, one its biggest supporters, the Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York City has launched a web portal called Market Maker to help organize the people involved in this area. The site brings together all parts of the supply chain, connecting a farmer upstate with a food coop in East New York.
Say a chef in the Lower East Side is looking to buy locally grown tomatoes, for example. He can log on and find out details of all the suppliers selling the product he seeks, as long as they have registered with the site. Or maybe a wine producer in Long Island is looking to expand his business. She can find local bottlers as well as businesses who profess an interest in a selling similar products.
The model for the site was piloted in Illinois and there are now four state sites nationwide.
By Mike Muller on August 31, 2007, 9:21 amIn category: Community Development, Economy, Environment, Health | 1 Comment »

August 31st, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I know I’m supposed to love this, because I’m the technical whiz kid, but is it so hard for the LES chef to walk to the Greenmarket and talk to the farmers?
Plus “locally grown tomatoes” can mean a zillion things and if this chef wants yellow pear tomatoes or a particular variety of heirloom tomatoes for a salad, he’s still going to have to walk up to the market.
I think we spend a lot of resources and energy on technical wizardry that gets us two thirds of the to a solution at best and leaves a big gulf yet to cross. Maybe I’m just the house curmudgeon.