The locavore movement is nothing new. Scores of buyers, retailers, and consumers now make top purchasing decisions based on where food is grown. But sourcing ingredients cultivated within a small radius has its challenges. The infrastructure—such as vendor numbers, electronic payment methods and online ordering—is not always in place with small farmers, leading to difficulties when grocers are ready to purchase.
New website LocalDirt.com provides a platform for sellers, buyers and customers to find local food anywhere from a 10 to 300-mile radius. “Especially as rural areas get more Internet access, it’s less time consuming and it just makes sense,” founder Heather Hilleren explained in an interview with Organic Connections. “It automates so much of the process, and it takes a lot off the hands of the farmers. Farmers don’t have to generate the invoices and do all that work, and buyers don’t have to be really aggressive at trying to figure out what the farmers are offering and what products are out there. It’s simply an easier solution all the way around.”
Read more in Organic Connections.