Cultivate IQ

Research Team: Meredith Adkins, Ph.D. (PI), Kristen Gibson, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Ngan Le, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Chase Rainwater, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Jada Thompson, Ph.D. (Co-PI), Priyanka Sharma, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral fellow), Philip Sambol (Project Manager)

Industry/Academic/Community Partners: University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Cureate, Junction AI

Cultivate IQ is an AI-powered analytics and decision-support platform designed to strengthen local and regional food systems by helping food businesses make more informed, timely, and confident market decisions. Its development was funded through Track 1 and Track 2 awards from the National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator.

The platform integrates user's sales data with real-time market intelligence to generate price forecasts, identify market benchmarks and support supply purchasing, sourcing and planning decisions. Local food buyers, including retailers, aggregators such as food hubs, and distributors, gain access to market insights and analytical capabilities that have traditionally been available primarily to large companies with extensive data and technology resources.

By improving the visibility and use of market information, Cultivate IQ can increase efficiency throughout local and regional food supply chains. More accurate forecasts and stronger planning tools can help buyers anticipate demand, align purchasing with expected sales, and reduce the risks associated with volatile prices or uncertain supply. These capabilities can also improve coordination among producers, aggregators, distributors, and retailers, enabling businesses to identify sourcing opportunities, respond more quickly to changing market conditions, and build more reliable regional supply networks. Ultimately, Cultivate IQ seeks to improve the competitiveness, profitability, and resilience of the enterprises connecting regional producers with consumers.

This work advances the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research’s mission to conduct collaborative, use-inspired food-systems research and translate research discoveries into practical solutions with economic and societal impact. Cultivate IQ exemplifies this mission by combining artificial intelligence, agricultural economics, community food systems knowledge, and industry experience.

Led by I³R Assistant Research Professor Dr. Meredith Adkins, the project brings together collaborators from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Florida, and two industry partners, Junction AI and Cureate.