Building a stronger local food system in Arkansas.
Our first programs take shape in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in partnership with Peaceful Pines Farm. Together we are designing programs that move fresh food further, teach the next generation where it comes from, and make sure less of it goes to waste. We don’t run programs for communities; we build them with the people already doing the work.
These initiatives are designed as one connected system, and the list will keep growing. What the farm grows is stored and shared; what the community learns sustains the work; what would go to waste is recovered. Each new project we take on strengthens the larger community ecosystem the others support.
1. Produce storage & distribution
The problem
Fresh produce is grown locally and lost locally — without cold storage and coordinated logistics, food that could feed the community never reaches it.
The work
We are co-designing on-farm infrastructure, including cold storage, and a formalized distribution plan that connects Peaceful Pines Farm to new local markets, restaurants, and community institutions across the Pine Bluff region.
The outcome we’re building toward
Less food loss, a stronger farm operation, and more fresh, local food within reach.
2. Food & agriculture education
The problem
Hands-on learning about food, farming, and the environment works — but it stays small when it lives in one place, unwritten.
The work
We are formalizing Peaceful Pines Farm’s youth programming into a scalable curriculum: farm-to-school modules aligned with state standards for science and health classes, and vocational training in sustainable agriculture and food systems for youth and adults.
The outcome we’re building toward
A transferable food and agriculture curriculum that any school or workforce program in Arkansas can adopt.
3. Last-mile food waste diversion
The problem
Surplus food and food-insecure neighbors often sit in the same zip code, separated by logistics no one owns.
The work
Building on the farm’s existing relationships with food banks, we are formalizing a food recovery program: simple tracking technology to coordinate pickups, a volunteer management system, and a growing network of food donors and distribution points.
The outcome we’re building toward
A data-informed food waste diversion program that moves surplus food to the people who need it — reliably, measurably.
The model
We carry the paperwork so partners can carry the work.
MJ Axiom acts as the prime applicant: we identify funding, develop proposals, and manage grants, compliance, and reporting. Our partners — who hold the community’s trust and the on-the-ground infrastructure — deliver the work. An active grant pipeline is moving these programs toward launch.
This division of labor is deliberate. It reduces the administrative burden on community organizations, keeps overhead low, and puts funding where it belongs: in the field.
The road ahead
Growing in two states.
As these initiatives launch and mature in Pine Bluff, we are laying the groundwork for the same model — local partner, shared design, disciplined data — in an anchor partnership across greater Chicago.
Interested in funding this work?
We are actively seeking funders and grantmakers across all of our initiatives — federal, state, and philanthropic. We come to the table with detailed scopes of work and a commitment to measure what matters.