No one will argue that food is one of human’s most basic needs; but, across rural America, many grocery stores are scratching and clawing their way to survival and, when one closes, it affects other businesses as well and forces people to travel outside the community to buy food. The Rural Grocery Initiative — housed within K-State Research and Extension — aims to sustain locally owned rural grocery stores by sharing resources that support grocers and rural communities. Program Manager for the Initiative, Erica Blair, says one thing they’ve been seeing is more innovative and alternative grocery ownership models to keep groceries alive in small towns.
K- State will host a National Rural Grocer Summit in Wichita on June 20th. Blair says the Summit will give grocers a chance to learn from each other and study the alternative ownership models.
