Regional and Local Food Systems

Assessments - Impacts - Market research - Place-based foods - Other links

Food system assessments

The Leopold Center has used many approaches to study food systems: food mapping, community discussions, historical data and trends. Here is a variety of assessments that have been conducted over the years.

A  Resource Guide to Cultivate the Linn County Local Food System: This guide was a project of the Regional Food Systems Working Group, written by food system planner Jason Grimm.

Food system atlas: ISU sociologist Clare Hinrichs worked in four Iowa communities to find out how people ate, where their food came from, how the land was used, and opportunities for local marketing, resulting in these reports:

• Audubon County Food System Atlas
• Benton County Food System Atlas
• Johnson County Food System Atlas
• Marshall County Food System Atlas

Grape Expectations: This is the Leopold Center's 2002 white paper that looked at opportunities to re-establish the grape industry in Iowa.

Apples to Apples: This is the first Leopold Center white paper on food systems looking at apples.

Iowa ag snapshot: This is a chart, produced by Leopold Center staff, that shows how the number of crop and livestock enterprises has declined on Iowa farms each year since 1920.

Economic impacts

Another effective way to look at local and regional food systems is to consider their economic impact. The Leopold Center has worked with ISU economist Dave Swenson on a number of economic impact studies.

• Exploring Small-Scale Meat Processing Expansions in Iowa
• Measuring the Economic Impacts of Increased Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Production in Iowa Considering Metroplitan  Demand
• Selected Measures of the Economic Values of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Produciton and Consumption in the Upper Midwest
• The Economic Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Production in Southwest Iowa Considering Local and Nearby Metropolitan Markets
• Investigating the Potential Economic Impacts of Local Foods for Southeast Iowa
• Estimating the Production and Market Value-Based Impacts of Nutritional Goals in NE Iowa
• The Economic Empacts of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production and Consumption in Iowa: Phase II

This study, conducted for the Regional Food Systems  Working Group, also try to quantify impacts of local food sales on local economices. Evaluating Economic Impacts of Local Food Purchasing in Several Market Channels in Black Hawk and Surrounding Counties

Farmers markets  This was the first study that looked at the importance of farmers markets on the Iowa economy asa whole. Consumers, Vendors and the Economic Importance of Iowa Farmers' Markets

Market research

A number of Leopold Center grants and in-house projects have provided valuable information in establishing new markets. Here are links to some of the more popular reports.

• The Leopold Center compared prices for Iowa-grown vegetables eggs an dmeat with non-local counterparts. Read the report,  Is Local Food More Expensive?
• This report summarized results of a 2007 survey of 140 institutional buyers in northeast Iowa about their purchases of locally raised food items, Northeast Iowa Local Food Survey.
• This research was done for the Pork Niche Market Working Group, resulting in a peer-reviewed paper, The United States Pork Niche Market Phenomenon
• An early study for the Regional Food Systems Working Group looked at public understanding of the terms, Examining Awareness of and Support of Regional Food Systems in Iowa
• The Leopold Center conducted two ecolabel studies: Read the first report, Ecolabel Value Assessment: Consumer and Food Business Perceptions of Local Foods, and a followup report.
• This also was an in-house Leopold Center study, Consumer Perceptions of Pasture-raised Beef and Dairy Products.

Place-based foods and agritourism

Unique foods have always attracted followers, one the basic concepts behind agritourism. The Leopold Center has funded a number of projects and conducted its own research in this area in an attempt to expand markets for Iowa farmers.

• Iowa Place-Based Foods is a great website to find the story behind the food. Information was gathered and the site created as part of a Leopold Center project. Go to website.
• Consumer Perceptions of Place-based Foods, Food Chain Profit Distribution and Family Farms
• Muscatine Melon: A Case Study of a Place-based Food in Iowa
• A Geography of Taste: Iowa's Potential for Developing Place-based and Traditional Foods looks at Iowa's history, regional influences and an array of foods once prevalent here.
• Geographical Indicated Products in The Netherlands looks at a tool that might be used in Iowa.

Links we like

Regional Food Hub Resource Guide -- This is a 93-page guide to food hubs, businesses or organizations that connect producers with buyers by offering a suite of production, distribution and marketing services. It was developed by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and a national food hub collaboraiton. Download the guide [PDF]

On-Farm Food Safety Project - This is a national website funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency USDA to help growers develop their own food safety plan. Go to the website

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass - This online resource includes stories, pictures and videos about USDA's support for local and regional food systems in all 50 states using an interactive map. Or read the 80-page Know Your Farmer Know Your Food Guide [PDF].

Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts and Issues is USDA Economic Research Report No. 97, which provides an overview of local food systmes, definitions, market size and reach of this growing sector. Read the report [PDF] . Get other updated info here.

Facts on Direct-to-Consumer Food Marketing are key findings from the 2007 Census of Agriculture prepared by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. Read the report

Iowa Market Maker is an interactive website where farmers can register their business to find markets in their area. It was originally developed in Illinois and expanded to Iowa with a Leopold Center grant. The database now includes 17 states and a variety of other marketing resources. Go to website.

How to Direct Market Your Beef  This book is available online free from the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Get this book.

Missouri Regional Cuisines Project at the University of Missouri Extension markets wine and food with distinct labels or origin. Go to website.

Food Environment Atlas is an on-line database of county-level statistics about food ranging from the number and proximity of grocery stores to how many gallons of soft drinks are consumed. Go to the website, developed by the USDA's Economic Research Service.

The National Agricultural Law Center maintains a website with resources on topics related to local food systems. Go to the website

National Good Food Network - A program of Wallace Center at Winrock International that offers webinars and other resources for scaling up regional and local food systems

Community Food Security Coalition - This coalition offers networking and training to more than 300 North American organizations involved in food issues related to social and economic justice, anti-hunger, the environment and community development. The group leads the National Farm to School Network.