May 3, 2022
Happening Thursday: Online Conference on Regional Food Supply Chains
Lessons from COVID-19: Positioning Regional Food Supply Chains for Future Pandemics, Natural Disasters and Human-made Crises presents a new virtual conference opportunity this Thursday, May 5, at 10 a.m. CT, where researchers will reflect on supply chain innovations and discuss strategies for the future of food supply chains.
This is a free, 5-hour conference to help you navigate the challenges of food supply chain disruptions at every point in the process. This event will have presentations, hands-on workshops, and engagement with others working in this area. We will explore how to understand the problem, learn about solutions and facilitate change.
This conference is open to practitioners (growers, grocery store operators, restaurant operators, etc.), Extension staff, government representatives, and others involved in the U.S. food supply chain.
“If we can provide information and any type of insight on, if, and how regional food supply chains can augment the traditional supply chain so that we move from a food system that is completely efficient to one that is efficient and resilient to the next disaster, then I think that's cleared all of our goals,” said Dr. Christa Court, assistant professor in Food and Resource Economics at the University of Florida. “We'll feel like we are a success at the end of this project.”
Lessons from COVID-19: Positioning Regional Food Supply Chains for Future Pandemics, Natural Disasters and Human-made Crises is one of 17 projects nationwide to receive funding through a new program area of the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, targeting rapid response solutions to the pandemic through applied research, education and extension activities.
Check out the event page on the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement website or register directly here. If you can't make it to the live event this week, never fear, an asynchronous online course (free) featuring and expanding on content presented at the conference will be available in late summer.