Warehouses4Good, a regional food hub initiative serving Mississippi and Arkansas, sought to better understand the local food system ecosystem, including producers, value-added processors, aggregators, and retail outlets across an 18-county region. CRAFT partnered with Warehouses4Good to gather, clean, and map comprehensive food system data to support strategic planning, regional food system development, and future investment opportunities.

Our Approach
CRAFT collected public and community-sourced data on producers, processors, aggregators, and retail outlets, documenting location, operation type, distribution methods, and additional services provided. Using GIS mapping tools such as Google MyMaps and ArcGIS Online, CRAFT geocoded and mapped all stakeholders to create accessible visualizations for analysis.

The team also summarized the methodology, data definitions, and process in a comprehensive report, ensuring transparency and usability for future planning and decision-making.

Results
CRAFT delivered a detailed dataset and GIS maps covering each category of food system actors, along with a methodology and process summary. The deliverables provide Warehouses4Good with actionable insights into the regional food system, helping identify gaps, opportunities for collaboration, and strategies to strengthen producer and aggregator networks. This work lays the foundation for data-driven decision-making, program development, and investment in regional food system infrastructure.

Location
Houston, TX

Project Type
Food System Research & Analysis

Client Type
Nonprofit

Scale
National