By drawing upon insights from our key findings we developed four high-level goals that we felt were the most important and feasible to address with Information Technology.

Promote Transparency and Lower Barriers to Eating Locally

Our solution should promote transparency by clearly linking all of the participants involved in a specific food sale, including producers, retailers, and distributors. It should lower barriers that consumers’ face by helping them eat seasonally, connect to and communicate with producers whose practices reflect their values, and find retailers who source locally.

Encourage New and Struggling Farmers

Our solution should provide tools to help producers share resources and exchange advice and ideas, with an emphasis on encouraging new producers to participate and seek help.

It should also create clear channels of communication between producers, consumers, and retailers. This would allow producers to let others know of the struggles they face and to exchange information more easily with retailers to whom they sell. It would also encourage consumers to express their appreciation for the work put into their food, feedback that farmers both want and deserve.

 Encourage Political Awareness

Our solution should promote discussion among all of the participants in the food system, allowing people to be more informed and aware of political barriers and their respective solutions. It should leverage both strong and weak ties and personal connections to help people become properly informed, organize around issues, and mobilize to take action.

Foster Delight

Our solution should emphasize the pleasure of personal connection and foster interactions that delight. It should allow people to explore the story behind their food in a fun, engaging way.

As design strategist Patrick W. Jordan emphasizes, people want “products that offer something extra; products that are not merely tools but 'living objects' that people can relate to; products that bring not only functional benefits but also emotional ones.” (2002, p. 6) Our solution should motivate people to participate and to support each other by bringing this emotional benefit to the surface.