Local food is easy to find with this new map

Fans of Kansas City’s local food community have a new way to find farms, markets, restaurants and retailers near them with a brand new tool, the Eat Local KC map.

It was created to amplify resources and relationships through storytelling and connecting people to the local food system. The map will also help illustrate opportunities within our food system for improving infrastructure to facilitate processing, transportation, and other preparation necessary to sell to consumers. 

Eat Local KC is built for eaters, growers, wholesale buyers and anyone else invested in local food. You can easily navigate the map using layers that highlight different aspects of our local food system: 

• farmers and ranchers who produce locally 
• KC Food Circle member farmers
• restaurants that serve local food
• grocers that sell local food
• farmers markets where local food can be purchased and where consumers can meet their farmers
• partner organizations that support the local food system
• schools and other institutions that purchase local food (to come)

Additional layers will be added in the future to include institutions that buy wholesale local food and other aspects of our local food system. This map is not yet complete, and we look forward to adding everyone involved in the local food system as soon as possible.

Make the most of the map

• ​​Farmers: Increase your reach! Make a profile to promote your farm and the places where you currently sell your products so customers can find you. Use the restaurant and grocer layers to find buyers who already purchase local food from other farms.
• Wholesale Buyers: Find the local products you’re looking for. Use the search function to find specific products sold by local farmers, source more of a product that you are already using, and use the farm layer to plan for the future with farmers who will grow what you need.​
• Eaters: Find more local food! Use the farm layer to find local food that is sold on farm, use the search function to find specific products, and find local food nearest you using the farmers market, grocers, and restaurant layers.​

Explore Eat Local KC

We realize there are other food system maps in Missouri and Kansas, but Kansas City is uniquely situated to envelop both sides of the state line so we need a map that reflects our connections all around the Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond. This map is regional and will span a radius of 250 miles around Kansas City to show the entire network of farmers, infrastructure, and buyers who work together to feed our region.

Eat Local KC was created in partnership with several organizations working together to build relationships within the local food system, to increase local food purchasing in institutions, and to help beginning farmers and seasoned growers create opportunities to sell local food. 

Partners include West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, Cultivate KC, ​K-State Research & Extension, New Growth Missouri, The KC Food Hub, and University of Missouri Extension​. Funding was provided by the Health Forward Foundation and USDA.

If you want to be included in the map or have questions on how to use the map, please reach out to Autumn Winegar at [email protected].