What is the role of technology in local food systems?

Lucy Norris, Director of the Regional Food Systems Program at Ag Innovations will join the upcoming 4th Annual Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Conference on November 3 – 4, 2015 at UC San Diego. Norris will discuss the important role of technology in impacting supply chain models and its ability to help insure the long-term viability of local food systems in California and around the country.

Lucy leads Ag Innovations’ efforts in identifying and developing creative projects to assure the long-term viability of local food systems in California and around the country. Food systems projects at Ag Innovations span a range of community, public health, environmental, social justice, and economic development topics on a range of geographic scales from the local to the state level. Lucy is responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of projects and coalitions, assuring that they are responsive to the challenges being faced, fulfilling the expectations of funders, and advancing a sustainable food system.

Prior to joining Ag Innovations, Lucy was known as a food systems pioneer in northwest Washington. As Director of Marketing for Northwest Agriculture Business Center, she leveraged “eat local” trends to identify and create a more viable and efficient local food infrastructure for the marketing, aggregation, distribution, and value-added processing of northwest Washington farm product. As Director of the Puget Sound Food Hub, she collaborated with farmers, businesses and partner organizations to develop a unique food hub model to increase farm sales, reduce costs and waste, address regulatory requirements, improve food safety standards and increase access to locally produced foods. She was instrumental in the development of the award winning Farm-to-Table program led by the City of Seattle to increase access to healthy local food for low-income children and seniors. The Capital Press named Lucy one of the 2014 Western Innovators.

Lucy is the author of Pickled: Preserving a World of Tastes and Traditions (2003), a collection of stories and recipes that emerged from a three-year oral history project with the New York Food Museum. Lucy helped launch the New York City International Pickle Day in 2001 (now called Lower East Side Pickle Day). She holds a MA in Food Studies from New York University, and a BA in Performance Studies and Cultural Anthropology also from NYU. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The New York Times, Food Network, NPR’s Morning Edition, The Splendid Table, Lee Bros. Boiled Peanut Hour on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Saveur and more.

Discounted Seed Saver Tickets are available for a limited time so register now to hear Lucy speak at the 4th Annual Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Conference by clicking here.