Input's Editor will interview a national food journalist at the 2021 Local Food Forum & Expo

Community health. Climate change. Food insecurity. Rural decline. Social inequity. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, these long-overlooked challenges erupted in cities around the world. While each of these issues may be daunting on its own, each is also deeply connected to an underlying—often-forgotten—common denominator: Local food. Nargi

As a veteran freelance journalist covering food systems across the U.S., Lela Nargi reports on farm-to-consumer relationships, food supply chains, technologies, climate change, food justice, and rural economies. She will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum & Expo on Monday, September 20, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

The day-long event is hosted by the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network and features a full schedule of educational breakout sessions and networking opportunities around the concept of local food. 

After doors open at 8 a.m., the opening remarks and keynote begin at 9 a.m. During this time, Input Fort Wayne's Managing Editor, Kara Hackett, will host a conversation with Nargi, expanding on Input's food reporting and exploring how local food systems affect the health, wealth, and wellbeing of Northeast Indiana communities. Hackett

In addition to the live event at PFW, the keynote will be recorded for later viewing, along with two breakout sessions on "Farm to School" and "a Local Look at Climate Change & Food Systems."

For more details about the event and registration, visit the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network's website

Tickets can be purchased for $25-$100 now through Sept. 17.
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Read more articles by Kara Hackett.

Kara Hackett is a Fort Wayne native fascinated by what's next for northeast Indiana how it relates to other up-and-coming places around the world. After working briefly in New York City and Indianapolis, she moved back to her hometown where she has discovered interesting people, projects, and innovations shaping the future of this place—and has been writing about them ever since. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @karahackett.