Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Competitive Grant

Local food capacity in north central Iowa: Nutritional need, economic strategy

Project ID: 2004-M21

Abstract

The Wright County Here's to Our Health Committee sought to expand local food activity in their area. This project offered information and support for added depth and breadth in the promotion of local food production and consumption.

Key Question: How do a few sustainable ag-minded community members and producers generate more interest from the many on an issue that doesn't appear to register significantly on community and economic development radar screens?

Findings: The project began with documenting food and farming economics in a specific region of north central Iowa and working with a range of partners. There were significant disconnections between what is being produced and what is being eaten. Telling the story of the disconnections opens the discussion to a vision of reconnecting. The project activities were rooted in doing this reconnecting work. There's a lot of hope in approaching this work from this angle, but it is slow work.

Lead investigator: Jan Libbey, Wright County Here's to Our Health Program

Year of grant completion: 2005

This competitive grant project was part of the Leopold Center's Marketing Initiative.

Topics: Community-based food systems, Food, health and climate change