CHARLES PRITCHARD
Staff Writer
With the hustle and bustle of everyday college life, it can be difficult for students to get out to the local farmers market. AgriMobile.org, a joint product of Fredonia Enactus and the Fredonia Farmers’ Market, is taking steps to help bring the farmers market to students.
The goal is simple: bringing farm fresh products right to your doorstep. Things that you would normally find at the farmers market are listed online and are ready to be bought and shipped.
“Fredonia Enactus is a group of over 80 student entrepreneurs from 22 different academic majors which use entrepreneurial action in the community for several projects that impact the community, local businesses and individuals economically, socially and environmentally,” said Delia Napolitano, co-founder of Agri-Mobile and chief operating officer of Fredonia Enactus.
Residents of Fredonia and Dunkirk are, no doubt, aware of the outdoor market held on Church Street and the indoor market at the Masonic Forest Lodge on East Main Street. But with the help of Enactus, the local farmers are able to not only sell to more people, but also year round.
“For AgriMobile, a group of students with science, business and public health majors came together and listened to the needs of the farmers who sell at the farmers market,” Professor Susan McNamara, Enactus adviser, said. “They found out that their revenue drops 50 percent during the offseason. So the students created an online order and delivery system. Farmers sell more product, and [a] consumer who normally couldn’t get healthy local food, now could.”
This comes in the wake of Enactus’ recent victory in Atlanta, where Enactus members competed against other colleges and presented projects, including AgriMobile, to judges from Fortune 500 companies.
AgriMobile’s goal is to help students broaden their selection of food while on campus — something that can prove to be difficult.
Last year, Napolitano was vice president of a group called Green Wave that applied for a grant of $1,500 to help workshop with people to educate those looking to eat healthier. Partnered with the Fredonia Farmers’ Market, Green Wave conducted its workshops but realized that just knowing how to eat healthy is the first step.
“If I had actual vegetables, I’d cook more,” Zachary Robinson, junior vocal performance major, said. “I eat pretty terribly on a day to day basis. When I’m eating, I think ‘I should not be eating this. I should be eating something better.’ There aren’t a ton of options on campus.”
With AgriMobile, students can change this and order whatever is currently in season — a rather important aspect many students must realize about the market itself.
“When you’re eating local and fresh, especially in the Fredonia/Dunkirk area in New York, you’re going to be eating foods that are in season,” Napolitano said. “We’re always going to have eggs, cheese, milk and organic meat. We’re also focusing on products such as raw honey and jams, fresh local chocolate, and, in the summer, you’ll see a lot more fruits and vegetables.”
Living in the age of the infinite supermarket, people today are used to being able to go to any store and buy any fruit or vegetable without a second thought. But Enactus is helping the Fredonia collegiate broaden its horizons and expand what it has access to through AgriMobile and other projects with the community.
“We are united in wanting to make a difference,” McNamara said. “Our impact comes from understanding the needs of our community and then problem-solving solutions.”