IU School of Liberal Arts geography professor, Jeffrey Wilson joined a group of Indiana University researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington and the School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University Indianapolis to study the potential benefits of a European-style certification for local foods, known as a “Geographical Indication” (GI), to boost the Hoosier state’s rural economies.
The study asserts that GI designation could help Indiana’s small agricultural communities thrive by linking the quality of local foods to their place of origin-akin to protected names like Champagne in France, or Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy.