Conference Resources
Find and purchase local foods
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship maintains this directory of farmers markets across Iowa and a separate list of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) opportunities.
The Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign educates people across the country about the benefits of local foods. Visit the Buy Fresh Buy Local statewide website to find a local chapter near you.
Many local foods are available for purchase from Iowa Food Cooperative and the Tallgrass Grocery Co-op.
Edible Iowa River Valley is a great publication that highlights local food options and action around Iowa.
VISIT A FARM
There's no better way to learn about agriculture than by visiting a farm. The Iowa State University Extension maintains a list of farms you can actually visit, in person, to see how things are done. In south-central Iowa, a group of farmers also holds an annual event called Farm Crawl that highlights the amazing variety of Small Farms Iowa offers.
GET INVOLVED WITH A LOCAL/SUSTAINABLE FOOD ORGANIZATION
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Regional Food System Working Group works with 16 participants that are active in different parts of the state--one of them likely in your community. (You can also find out more about what regional food systems are.)
The Leopold Center also offers an outstanding list of organizations all over Iowa that are working in these issues complete with specific contact information you can use to make connections.
The Iowa Food Systems Council, which formed as an independent nonprofit in 2010, can provide many great opportunities to get involved creating a healthy food system (involving production, transportation, marketing and consumption of food) in Iowa.
For further reading
The Iowa Food Systems Council published Cultivating Resilience: A Food System Blueprint that Advances the Health of Iowans, Farms and Communities which is a great resource for understanding the health of Iowa's food system from farm to table.
The Leopold Center released the Iowa Local Food and Farm Plan, which outlines practical steps Iowa can take to promote local foods.
LEARN ABOUT SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS AT AGRICULTURE FOR LIFE
Biographies for our speakers and presenters with links to organizations they represent (if applicable) are available on other pages in this special conference section: Frances Moore Lappé, Ricardo Salvador, Practical Solutions for Iowa, and Stories from a New Food System.
Sponsors and exhibitors
Below are links to sponsors and exhibitors at Agriculture for Life for whom website links are available:
