Wildkale.com, Inc.

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Historically, the Food Supply Chain Has Had Disparate Technology Systems for Capturing Information Across Many Different Actors - Farmers, Aggregators, Distributors, Transportation Companies, Retailers, Etc. a Lack of Transparency and Data Sharing Across the Supply Chain Makes It Nearly Impossible to Track and Trace the Movement of Food From Origin to Consumption. the Challenge Facing the Agricultural Industry Is Twofold: Infrastructure Must Be Developed to Enable Digital Connectivity in Agriculture, and Where Connectivity Already Exists, Strong Business Cases Must Be Made to Adopt Solutions. With the Considerable Buying Power That Institutions Have, the Institutional Food Purchasing Market Can Enable Implementing These New Technology Solutions at Scale.the Proposed WDKL Platform Will Enable the Birth of This New Real-time, Local Produce Marketplace by Enabling Transparency for Evidence of Quality (freshness, Taste, Safety), Traceability (for Risk Management), Food Sustainability, Combating Food Fraud, and Regulatory Compliance- Creating a Path to Shrink the Supply Chain to the Farmer. Ultimately, This New Platform, WDKL, Will Allow Schools and Other Institutions to Buy More Food From Local Small and Mid-size Producers and Help Them Compete Against the Race-to-the-bottom Industrial Food System, Which Is the Inevitable Alternative If the Current Challenges Facing School Food Buyers Persist.