Uber for Tomatoes: Could 'Crowdshipping' Solve Food Transportation Problems for Small Farms?

In this episode of Voices from the Field, we meet Dr. Carolyn Krejci, an industrial engineer and expert on supply-chain management at the University of Texas at Arlington who is designing surprising new ways of supporting local and regional food systems. 

She and NCAT Southwest Regional Director Mike Morris sit down to discuss her pioneering research on food transportation and the ingenious new “crowdshipping” phone app she and her team recently created for matching small farms with drivers who are willing to deliver farm products to urban markets. Could a ride-sharing system for food products expand markets and increase incomes for small farms? 

 Related ATTRA Resources: 

·         Selling to Local and Regional Markets: Barriers and Opportunities for Beginning Farmers

·         Scaling Up Your Vegetable Farm for Regional Markets

·         Food Hubs: A Producer Guide  

·         Intermediated Markets 
 

Other Resources:   

·         Project report for “Regional Food Transportation for Texas Farmers,” Southern SARE Research and Education Project #LS19-312 

·         Evaluating the Suitability of Crowd-Shipping Platforms for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 

·         Logistics Best Practices for Regional Food Systems: A Review 

·         Resilient Regional Food Supply Chains and Rethinking the Way Forward: Key Takeaways from the COVID-19 Pandemic  

·         Iowa Food Hub Network

Contact Mike Morris at [email protected].

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