A team of researchers, including CIAS Director Dr. Erin Silva and Outreach Program Coordinator/Farm Viability Specialist John Hendrickson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has secured up to $5 million in additional funding from the NSF Convergence Accelerator for their project, Cultivate IQ. This AI-driven platform aims to bolster smaller farms and enhance the resilience of regional food systems. With a total investment nearing $6 million, the project is led by the University of Arkansas’s Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) assistant professor Dr. Meredith Adkins. In addition to the collaboration with UW-Madison, this project includes researchers from across the University of Arkansas system, University of Florida, as well as industry partners like Cureate and Junction AI. The team has transitioned from Phase 1, focused on proof of concept, to Phase 2, where the platform will be fully developed and deployed.

Cultivate IQ integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide insights into sales and production data along the farm-to-market supply chain. By enabling better planning and management of regional food supplies, the platform empowers local food buyers and distributors to access market insights, production planning tools, and purchase orders. This initiative seeks to address barriers faced by small and mid-sized farms and local food distributors, such as limited access to real-time marketplace insights, ultimately fostering a more competitive environment for these stakeholders.

The project emphasizes collaboration between academia, industry, government, and other communities to optimize food production and strengthen connections between farmers and consumers. Through innovative solutions and strong partnerships, the team aims to tackle issues like food scarcity, irrigation problems, and supply chain inefficiencies. By leveraging the expertise of multidisciplinary researchers and industry partners, Cultivate IQ seeks to minimize food loss, enhance economic opportunities for smaller farms, and contribute to the overall resilience of regional food systems, particularly in areas like Arkansas with high concentrations of small-scale farmers.

To read the full release from the University of Arkansas, click here.