Farm to Institution Metrics

Background & Overview

Under a cooperative agreement between USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, the National Farm to Institution Metrics Collaborative, which consists of farm to institution leaders from across the United States, developed a suite of farm impact metrics designed to standardize the reporting of local food purchases by institutions.

Now in its fourth year, the Collaborative has over 100 members from 30 states, representing the country’s leaders in farm to institution work. Through quarterly calls, occasional in-person meetings, presentations at national conferences, and an active listserv, members of the Collaborative share resources (reports, research), tools (surveys, data capture tools), and foundational FTI metrics terminology.

Key Takeaways

The Collaborative aims to codify the more-than-financial values associated with ‘local’ food into a replicable set of metrics that support meaningful tracking, benchmarking, and impact measurement across institutions and the nation. These standardized farm to institution metrics will: 

  • allow practitioners and policymakers to use aggregated purchase data to evaluate and compare progress, challenges, and impact across sectors and regions; 
  • increase the consistency and transparency of local food purchase reporting by institutions; and,  
  • reduce the costs on distributors in tracking local purchases, which makes it more likely they will do so.

By beginning with farm-impact metrics, this project will lay a foundation for future metrics development while also solving a timely need for coordination and standardizing of farm-impact metrics across institutions and agencies.

Full Report

For questions, please contact:
Ashley Chaifetz
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Email: ashley.chaifetz@usda.gov

Publication Date
November 2020