Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Current Competitive Grant

Micro-farming: Reducing rural and urban food deserts through job training

Project ID: M2012-13

This 1-year grant for $16,994 was awarded in 2012.

Location: Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby counties

The project leader is developing an innovative 42-hour continuing education course at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs to train a new generation of farmers and increase the amount of fresh, healthy and affordable food available in southwest Iowa’s regional food deserts. The course will cover business and financial planning, land acquisition, equipment selection and maintenance, crop/animal selection, water and soil quality, and marketing and promotion.

Matt Mancuso

Matt Mancuso Matt Mancuso is the sustainability coordinator for Iowa Western Community College. He is responsible for creating new sustainable programs, enhancing sustainability in the current curriculum, providing outreach to both the school and the community, as well as identifying possible ways for the campus to become more eco-friendly. [Contact lead investigator]

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

Topics: Human systems, demographics and beginning farmer programs