You want answers. We want partners.
What can the model do for you?
We built FoodS3 to answer questions about supply chains and environmental impacts connecting agricultural landscapes and their downstream industries.
FoodS3 is...
- a key tool when supply chain connections are invisible but important.
- a way to estimate environmental impact estimates at the county level.
- a valuable asset to landscape-level actors, such as farmers and ranchers. nonprofit organizations, and local governmental entities, as it increases visibility into their connections to downstream companies and industries.
FoodS3 is not...
- an on-farm environmental calculator. Our model runs at a county scale and reflects environmental impact estimates at that level. However, our supply chain connections could work with on-farm calculators looking to aggregate farms along supply chains.
What kind of impact has FoodS3 had?
FoodS3 has helped many companies understand the US commodity crop and animal flows in their products, informing decisions that improved the sustainability of their supply networks. We want to continue our work with the private sector and expand beyond, connecting to the public interest in understanding the environmental impacts of commodity crop and animal production and their connections to downstream actors.
What does a partnership with us look like?
Discovery Phase
In this first phase, we seek to understand what needs or question(s) you are trying to address and clarify how FoodS3 can provide additional insights or answers.
Project Scoping Phase
Once we are confident that FoodS3 can help, we will draft a short project proposal that outlines specific information we need from you, and specific deliverables we will provide. We then share this with you to get feedback and illuminate any remaining questions to ensure we are all in agreement. We are then able to draft a budget and timeline and discuss the most appropriate University pathway for moving the project forward.
Project Launch
After we have a signed contract, including a non-disclosure agreement if needed, we can begin the project. The project may require data or further information from your organization, which we then use to make a partner-specific FoodS3 model that is kept separate from our public model. With this, we can then map your specific supply chain.
Model Updates Phase
Our process is iterative, continuing to connect with you as we work to address your project needs. We will share preliminary results to highlight and answer questions and make updates and refinements based on our conversations.
Final Results
We will provide final outputs as outlined in the contract and ensure you are confident in your understanding of what we have delivered. While the project is over, we want to continue to be a resource for you and maintain an open channel of partnership and learning as we continuously improve the FoodS3 platform.
What some of our partners have said...
“WWF worked with the FoodS3 team to better understand the supply chain connections between crops being grown on newly converted grasslands and larger downstream industries. This information has been used to increase transparency and raise awareness of grassland conversion which helps guide sustainability practices for decision makers across the conservation and agriculture sector.”
− Dr. Patrick Lendrum, Senior Science Specialist, Northern Great Plains, World Wildlife Fund
“Agricultural systems are complex and it’s essential to have robust information about the impacts of individual links in supply chains to improve the outcomes from food production on water, climate, and the environment. The FoodS3 model provides a powerful scientific tool for understanding complex supply chains and identifying key opportunities to improve management and achieve a more sustainable food system.”
− Kris Johnson, Ph.D., Director of Agriculture, North America, The Nature Conservancy
