Agribusiness, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

German, Carl L.

Klotzbach-Shimomura, Kathleen

Toensmeyer, Ulrich C.

VanVranken, Richard

English

Research Papers in Economics

E-Business  Applications  of the Mid-Atlantic  Regional  Food
Systems  Website
Carl L. German, Richard VanVranken, Kathleen Klotzbach-Shimomura,  and
Ulrich C. Toensmeyer
The World Wide Web (WWW) is revolutionizing
access to and  delivery of information, via timely
and easy-to-use interactive multimedia, and multi-
disciplinary methods. The extension-outreach  sys-
tem of land-grant universities can utilize this pow-
erful tool to enhance educational opportunities for
food  system  professionals  and  consumers.  This
three-year project is designed to develop extension
education  on  the WWW  around  a food-systems
model  to allow  delivery of personalized  instruc-
tion while providing multi-disciplinary  answers to
complex questions.  Issues facing the industry are
complex,  and  an  effective  method of addressing
them is needed. Extension education on the WWW
developed  around  a food-systems  model  will al-
low delivery of personalized instruction while pro-
viding multi-disciplinary  answers,  which  are  not
logistically feasible with traditional programming
methods. The intent of this project is to transform
the mode of access to university resources in order
to maintain the leadership position of the land-grant
system and collaborating  institutions in the deliv-
ery of research-based  and applied information  to
the citizens of the region.
The purpose of this paper is to outline the pro-
cess involved in developing the regional food-sys-
tems web site as a model infrastructure  for inter-
disciplinary  educational  efforts.  This project  is
unique in that it builds on the strengths of the col-
laborating institutional  partners within the region.
The  interaction of many disciplines  such as agri-
cultural production, marketing,  safe handling of a
regional  food  supply,  environmental  issues,  and
nutritional  sciences  illustrates the  diverse  educa-
tional  needs of stakeholders  (site  users). Increas-
ing understanding  of the  interrelationship  of the
German  is extension  specialist,  Crops Marketing,  University
of  Delaware.  VanVranken is Atlantic County agricultural agent
and Kathleen Klotzbach-Shimomura  is Family and Consumer
Sciences  educator,  Rutgers.  Toensmeyer  is professor,  Food
Marketing,  University of Delaware.
entire food system, including its relationship to the
environment  and the value of its various  compo-
nents, ultimately contributes to the viability of the
regional agricultural industry. This in turn will as-
sist in maintaining the quality of life for residents.
This paper first describes the food-systems web site
project and then highlights selected e-business ap-
plications of the Mid-Atlantic  Regional Food Sys-
tems Web  Site (MARFSWS).
Objectives
The overall objectives of this project are to:
1.  Provide ease of public and private entrepreneur-
ial access to a database of current and reliable
information;
2.  Gather  research  information,  including  case
studies on farm retail direct marketing/whole-
sale marketing, women's health, environmen-
tal  issues, and  food safety,  allowing regional
extension/research collaborators  to update the
content easily and quickly;
3.  Determine methodologies  to enhance  e-busi-
ness applications of the food-systems web site
such as a searchable map for product offerings,
a classified-ads section for product and equip-
ment offerings, a calendar of events, and a re-
tail farm market directory;
4.  Design and develop the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Food Systems Web Site, featuring an easily ac-
cessible and searchable  database of basic and
advanced  resources,  multimedia educational
presentations, searchable directories of experts,
current  bibliographies,  calendar  of related
meetings, on-line journals/newsletters for pub-
lication of timely research, and discussion fo-
rums;
5.  Develop evaluation mechanisms to allow con-
tinual feedback  for improvement of the food-
systems web site and to determine the impact
of the project.E-Business Applications of the . . . Food  Systems  Website  165
Food-Systems  Web Site Goes Online
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Food Systems Web Site
is now available to provide producers and consum-
ers with  education and user-friendly  information
pertaining  to safe  and  nutritious  consumption  of
the local food supply. The term "Food System" is
used frequently in discussions about nutrition, food,
health,  community  economic  development,  and
agriculture. Included in the initial launch of the site
are five components  of the food  system: Agricul-
tural Direct Marketing, Producer/Consumer Inter-
face, Women's/Men's Health and Nutrition, Envi-
ronmental  Issues,  and  Food  Safety.  Agricultural
producers and the public are invited to visit the site
at <agri-culturehealth.com>.
E-Business  Applications  of the  Website
This project is intended to be responsive to stake-
holder/user  needs,  including the incorporation  of
several e-business  applications  into this web site.
Farm market lists;  a classified-ads  section;  a cal-
endar of events and resources for farm market op-
erators, agricultural producers, and consumers are
currently being developed. These  applications are
described below.
Farm Market Lists Promote Local Retail Farm
Markets and Product Offerings
To reach the farm market list the user first clicks
on the Regional  (Local)  Foods  icon on the home
page of the web site. This will bring up the menu
for the Farm Market Lists where the user can search
for a specific  retail farm market  by market name
and address. Another feature of the site allows the
user to view all of the markets listed within the re-
gion. Perhaps the most important feature of this e-
business application is the ease with which the user/
farm-market  operator can add their market to the
list. This can be accomplished very easily by click-
ing on either the Application  icon on the Regional
Foods home page or the Add a New Market option
found on the Farm Market Listings page. This fea-
ture of the web site is important to farm retail mar-
ket operators because it allows market operators to
promote their markets and product offerings on the
Internet.  Individual  market operators may not be
able to do this on their own, primarily because of
cost and  time constraints.  For those that  already
have  web sites, it allows  them the opportunity to
have  another  avenue for promoting their markets
and their web sites.  In many cases, the use of this
site by market operators  will assist extension and
industry market consultants in helping retail farm
market operators bridge the digital divide.
Consumers using the Farm Market List are able
to search  for local products  and farm  markets  by
specific crop. In either case, once a market has been
identified the user is given the option of obtaining
a map complete with directions from point of ori-
gin to the farm market.
Farm-Market Classifieds  on  the Internet for
Product and Equipment Offerings
Another  e-business  application  of the Food-Sys-
tems Website  is the classified  ads  section, which
allows the farm-market  operator to list items that
are wanted  or for sale.  Users  can  search  listings
and add listings to the classifieds.
Other E-Business  Applications
MARFSWS  has other e-business applications that
are useful for commerce,  including a calendar of
events  where  important  industry and  educational
functions  can be  listed  and educational  informa-
tion  on agricultural  direct  marketing and  health,
food-safety, environmental issues. Many of the di-
rect e-business applications cannot be fully utilized
until the site is fully launched.
Summary
This paper has outlined and described the Mid-At-
lantic Regional Food Systems Web Site and high-
lighted  some of its  e-business  applications.  The
authors  believe that the  development and launch-
ing of this web site can begin the process of'bridg-
ing the digital divide'  in the food industry. Much
has been accomplished; however,  much work, co-
operative effort, and  additional funding  is needed
to bring this project into productive use. Hopefully
the presentation  of this paper will assist in begin-
ning  the dialogue  on  developing  the avenue  for
continuing this web site, complete with its e-busi-
ness applications  and the vast potential  for expan-
sion.
German, C. L. et aL.

E-BUSINESS APPLICATIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS WEBSITE

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Research Papers in Economics