🚚 Regional Sourcing
Activities
Institutional and Commercial Purchasing
Schools, universities, and hospitals could anchor steady demand for regional farms, but procurement rules, food-safety expectations, and thin coordination often block uptake. The Trust is bundling responses: procurement subsidies that reimburse institutional and commercial buyers for verified local purchases; investment in aggregation and food-safety capacity so farms can meet buyers where compliance is non-negotiable; and digital links between hubs and institutions to cut administrative friction.
WNC Food Hub Collaborative
The WNC Food Hub Collaborative is a newly formed group of 10 participating food hubs across the region that collectively purchase from hundreds of local farms. This existing network of aggregation, storage, and distribution capacity provides the foundation upon which a truly integrated regional food system can be built. The Trust works to strengthen and integrate this local food supply chain, reducing inefficiencies, building infrastructure, and expanding capacity.
Foodshed and Energyshed Mapping
On Mallorca, the alliance has used foodshed and energyshed mapping to trace how food and energy move through landscapes and settlements—mapping relational “footprints” rather than only administrative boundaries. The aim is practical: to surface leverage points for regenerative projects rooted in how the island actually feeds and powers itself.