Strengthening the Local and Regional Food System in the Iowa Valley: Iowa Valley Regional Food Initiative

Since 1996, local food initiatives in the Iowa Valley have had demonstrable impacts in their own areas, but have largely functioned in isolation from each other, limiting their ability to pool resources and seek support. Local food champions voiced an urgent need for a regional body to coordinate and strengthen efforts. The Iowa Valley Regional Food Initiative (I-Food) has filled this need for coordination between a diverse group of food programs and 140 partners and organizations, while facilitating the drafting of a comprehensive regional sustainable food systems plan.

Over the past year, the Iowa Valley RC&D contracted with Crossroads Resource Center to research the regional food and farm economy. This research was shared in three public presentations. Eight planning meetings, attended by local leaders, residents, organizational representatives and producers, were held in 2007. Meeting attendees shared materials and knowledge and networked with the common goal of creating a local food plan. Four I-Food sub-committees have researched the local food system, providing the informational basis for the local food systems plan now being developed.
A key I-Food success has been the partnership between Kalona Organics and Metro High School in Cedar Rapids in which locally grown food is provided to alternative high school students. I-Food also has been involved in efforts to integrate local foods into the Iowa City Community Schools and (with Northeast Iowa RC&D) in developing a website template to connect local food producers and consumers.
I-Food has provided the needed facilitation to coordinate exciting local food efforts and programs and develop a sustainable local foods plan for the region.

Contact:
Christine Taliga
Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development
920 48th Avenue
Amana, Iowa 52203-8032
chris.taliga@ia.usda.gov
319-430-5955