PHASE II: REDESIGNING FLORICULTURE MARKETPLACE & INVENTORY MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR SMALL PRODUCE FARMS TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY AND REDUCE COST

The goal of this project is to develop an online marketplace for small- and mid-sized farms selling through food hubs.Objective 1. Wewill build the data model, complete the backend architecture, and develop a functional Produce+ online marketplace and software platform. This platform will specifically address the needs of domestic growers and buyers, comprehensivelyproviding: farm-level inventory management, cross-seller product aggregation, and e-commerce capabilities.Objective 2. We will secure commercializationpartnerships and onboard 1-3 food hubs, each serving 8-20 small- to mid-size farms and 30-100wholesale buyers, for a targeted total impact of 50 small- to mid-sized farms through the pilot.Objective 3. We will continue testing and validation of our Produce+ platform withcommercialization partners. This effort will follow the same general approach as our Phase I pilottesting effort, but with a larger and more involved focus group of key stakeholders and users.