The ACRE Collective: Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience & Equity through Values-Based Procurement recently launched in Georgia. The ACRE Collective centers on garnering food purchasing commitments from Atlanta-area anchor institutions, while shifting procurement to producers that share these institutions’ values.
Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience & Equity through values-based procurement
Schools, hospitals, corporations, and other community institutions can affect positive social change through intentional procurement practices. By incorporating food purchasing standards that align with core values, institutions can influence public health outcomes, boost regional economies, mitigate climate change, and improve racial equity via their food purchasing decisions.
What does The ACRE Collective do?
Builds market demand.
• Via diverse programs and experience-informed strategies, we build demand for values-based food procurement from Atlanta area institutions like public schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and community organizations.
Supports farmers.
• We provide land access, technical assistance, and capacity building for farmers, particularly
farmers of color, interested in selling to wholesale markets to meet the growing demand from Atlanta-based institutions.
Distributes food.
• We aggregate food from local and sustainable family farms and distribute the food directly to institutional customers.
Meet the Collective
The Georgia ACRE Collective is a collaboration between The Common Market Southeast, Health Care Without Harm, Georgia Organics, The Conservation Fund’s Working Farms Fund, the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University, and Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This initiative is made possible with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation.
In the news
- Introducing The Georgia ACRE Collective: Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience & Equity through Values-Based Procurement
- What are Forward Commitments?
- Bridging the Gap: Georgia's Farm-to-School Cafeteria Pilot Nurtures Local Farmers and Nourishes Students
- Serving a Healthy Future: The Impact of Values-Based Food Procurement in Health Care
- The Georgia ACRE Collective Marks a Year of Success with Forward Commitments, Local Food Incentives, and Working Capital Loans
- Marietta gets creative with school meals via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 9, 2023
- Farm to School pilot program launches at CJH, JHH
- RCPS launches farm-to-school pilot to expose students to more fresh foods, expands opportunities to minority farmers via On Common Ground News, February 2, 2024
- Farm to School Program a Win-Win-Win for Georgia Students, Farmers and Community via The Rockdale Citizen, February 7, 2024
Case Study: Year 1 The Georgia ACRE Collective
The Georgia ACRE Collective is Advancing Agriculture, Community, Resilience and Equity (ACRE) through Values-Based Procurement as an Atlanta, Georgia-based coalition of local and national organizations that share a vision for more vibrant and equitable regional food systems. The coalition evolved in 2022 through a year-long planning process within the local food community that included state, federal and local governmental agencies, institutional buyers, food as medicine practitioners and food system funders in facilitated brainstorming sessions. These stakeholders expressed a desire to come together to improve racial equity, health equity, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability through strong procurement relationships between local anchor institutions and historically disadvantaged farmers. By incorporating food purchasing standards that align with core values (i.e. diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); climate action), anchor institutions can affect positive social changes through intentional procurement practices. This report reflects their collective efforts from Year 1, November 2022-November 2023.
Celebrating Commitment
We applaud the following Atlanta-based institutions for making forward commitments to our socially disadvantaged farmers, producers and ranchers in the past year. Their decision to align their purchases with their values (diversity, equity and inclusion, climate, small, local businesses, etc.), should serve as an example for what is possible when institutions use their purchasing power for good.
- Morehouse College
- Agnes Scott College
- Oglethorpe University
- Mercer University
- Northside Hospital
- Northside Hospital Cherokee
- Northside Hosptial Forsyth
- Scottish Rite Hospital
- Egleston Hospital
- Emory Decatur Hospital
Get in touch
We are eager to partner with Atlanta area institutions, farmers throughout the Southeast, and community partners to improve our regional food and farm systems. For more information, contact The Georgia ACRE Collective Project Manager, Emily Hennessee at emily@thecommonmarket.org.