It all started on a plantain farm in Ecuador. Ariana Torres, motivated by the financial challenges of running a small farm in her home country in 2007, decided to pursue graduate school at Purdue University.
Torres's goal was to develop innovative and accessible marketing and horticulture research-based tools for on-farm applications. Torres has fulfilled this goal, as an associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture and agricultural economics at Purdue University.
Her new tool – the HortCalculator – will provide leafy green farmers running small operations in the U.S. Midwest region with the tailored financial information necessary to be profitable and adapt to evolving market trends. These farmers produce single crops like spinach, collard greens, and green leaf lettuce, among others. "They often sell direct-to-consumer, at farmer's markets or restaurants, and have a fast crop rotation," Torres said.
Modern consumers prefer pesticide-free greens, given the rising industry push for more environmentally friendly produce. On the growers' side, this push requires investment in alternative methods such as biological control agents, or the use of predator insects to prevent greens from pest damage.
Read more at Purdue University.