July 2017 — Alex Borst is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in International Studies. This summer, Alex is helping Working Landscapes to develop a new sweet potato value chain to supply its Chopped Produce Initiative. This program aggregates local produce, adds value by chopping and prepping it, and then distributes it to local schools and institutions. Alex is compiling lists of interested producers, doing farm visits with them, updating existing producer profiles, and crafting brochures and marketing materials for Working Landscapes’ website.
While in college, Alex became interested in sustainable foods while interning at the Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network and also working on a sustainable hog farm. This summer he has enjoyed seeing a different facet of the local food system and gaining experience working in a non-profit focused on value chain development. Alex says that being a non-profit, mission driven organization makes it possible for Working Landscapes to “get produce into schools or communities that don’t normally have access to it…the non-profit ethos in our food hub makes it a lot different and allows us to fill a void by being a mission driven organization.”
He also appreciates the mentorship and knowledge that he has received from directors Carla Norwood and Gabe Cummings, says Alex, “Learning about how local supply chains work and how to develop them has been really helpful to me because it is a behemoth – from grower to distributor, to processor, to schools, to waste product. It’s cool to observe people who really understand that process and are able to break it down really easily. For future projects and employment, I will feel more comfortable talking about local [food] supply chains.”
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2017 NC Growing Together Newsletter.