Dr. Theresa Moran
Dr. Theresa Moran gave the keynote, titled Strengthening Regional Agriculture Through Institutional Procurement: the Farm to OHIO Working Group, at the virtual Farm to Institution Summit at Ohio University, on May 11.
Moran is the founder of the Farm to OHIO Working Group (FOWG), an adjunct professor in Environmental & Plant Biology, and the former Food Studies Director. In that former capacity, she obtained the Sugar Bush Foundation grants to establish the FOWG to expand institutional purchasing of regional food.
In the keynote session, Moran spoke to the importance of local procurement in creating more just and sustainable communities, and she inspired participants to act and collaborate.
Using examples from existing programs, she provided an overview of the topics covered throughout the conference, including the impact that local procurement can have on the regional economy and the challenges that institutions and farmers face when attempting to implement local procurement practices.
The keynote kicked off a summit-wide dialogue between institutions from across the region to review and discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how people can better cooperate to build a healthier and more equitable future.
Representatives from higher education institutions from the Ohio Valley region and their community partners gathered virtually at the summit to share best practices on institutional procurement of local foods and the consequent benefits for local economies, student wellbeing and experiential education.
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