NCSA researchers launch app to combat food insecurity

A group comprised of National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) genomics researchers, as well as the Visual Analytics Group, have developed a new app that they claim can support those facing food insecurity.

The app, HarvestHub, can be used on mobile devices, and is something the research team says “will heal COVID-damaged supply chains, help farmers increase production and get food to families in need”.

Having already been recognised for its “outstanding efforts” at the Farm Credit MarketMaker Innovation Awards ceremony during the 2023 National Agricultural Marketing Summit in Arlington, VA, the app was heralded by state and local MarketMaker collaborations around the country that contribute to the development of local and regional food systems and help farmers connect to new market opportunities.

Working with Google and MarketMaker, NCSA helped to develop HarvestHub as a way to make it easier for farmers to donate or sell surplus products to local food assistance programmes. The app will serve as a tool to support a Farm Bureau-led “Farm to Food Bank” pilot in Illinois and ultimately for all MarketMaker affiliated partners.

Commenting on the development of the HarvestHub app, NCSA Genomics Lead Christina Fliege, said: “Our team designed HarvestHub to work as a tool to assist with the complex food security landscape. By connecting consumers and producers directly to each other, we allow them to make these negotiations directly to streamline this process.”

The researchers claim that, through using HarvestHub, food producers can move their seconds and surplus at a price they set. In addition, they will be able to coordinate food assistance programmes, ranging from major food banks to soup kitchens and pantries.

To improve the functionality of the app, the NCSA team spoke to farmers and food bank representatives to discuss the initial parameters of the app to ensure it was useful to all interested parties.

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“We use a bottom-up approach where we work closely with users – in this case, community members – to understand their day-to-day lives, the pain points they encounter and their needs not addressed by the current system. We continue working with community members throughout the entire design and development process, gathering feedback and integrating it into the digital product,” shared Jessica Saw, a NCSA Research Scientist.

“While the recognition is certainly a worthwhile acknowledgement of the team’s effort, Fliege is mostly focused on the potential impact HarvestHub could have on local communities and beyond.”

“It was super exciting receiving the innovation award and getting to learn about the other finalists and their projects,” Fliege said. “There’s a lot of really cool work being done in this space right now. We’re all extremely grateful that our work was recognized, and very excited to see its potential impact come to fruition – pun intended,” concluded Saw.