Hunger is not a new problem in the United States, but the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring inflation, and sky-high grocery prices have brought it to the forefront of national attention. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 34 million people, accounting for about 10% of the nation’s population, are considered food insecure. This alarming statistic has prompted a growing focus on agrifood innovation and the potential for technology to address food security issues.
AgriNovus Indiana, an initiative aimed at growing the state’s agbioscience economy, has launched the HungerTech Innovation Challenge. This challenge is a four-week-long accelerator program that supports startups, entrepreneurs, students, and major companies in creating tech-enabled businesses that specifically target connecting food-insecure communities with for-profit and nonprofit food networks.
One of the winners of the HungerTech Challenge is GreenBasket, an Indianapolis-based team composed of students from Indiana University and Purdue University. Their winning innovation is the CropSpots app, which aims to bring healthy food to communities with limited food access. The app utilizes a group-buying model, where multiple households in a community can place an order together, share the delivery fee, and retrieve their food from a centralized location such as a school or church. Customers can use the app to shop, order, and pay, including accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) credits.
The group delivery system offered by CropSpots addresses the issue of affordability and accessibility. Many food-insecure households face challenges in affording nutritious food, and data from Harvard shows that shifting to a healthy diet can significantly increase grocery costs. Moreover, food delivery services like Instacart are mainly available in densely populated areas, leaving out rural communities where a significant percentage of food-insecure individuals reside.
The HungerTech Challenge also recognized other innovative solutions. Cultivate Food Rescue, based in South Bend, Indiana, was awarded a runner-up prize for its ShelfLife platform, which connects food suppliers with food donors. Civic Champs, based in Bloomington, Indiana, won the HungerTech 2022 challenge for its mobile app that enables SNAP users to purchase from participating grocers and receive free home delivery.
While the HungerTech Innovation Challenge has already made significant strides in addressing food security, AgriNovus Indiana believes that this is just the beginning. The organization sees the need for a new category of technology that can bridge both for-profit and nonprofit food systems. The HungerTech Challenge serves as proof of concept and has inspired dozens of innovators to tackle the challenges of tech-enabled food security.
The issue of hunger in America is a complex one, but agrifood innovation and technology have the potential to make a significant impact. By leveraging connectivity and creating innovative solutions like the CropSpots app, GreenBasket and other participants in the HungerTech Innovation Challenge are working towards a future where healthy food is more accessible to those in need. As the program continues to grow and inspire more innovators, there is hope that technology can play a vital role in ending food insecurity for millions of Americans.