News! IFSC Receives Wellmark Foundation Grant for Food Gardening Social Marketing
The two-year, $130,000 project is focused on three collaborative efforts. First, is to convene the statewide the Food Access & Health Work Group. The goal of the work group is to eliminate hunger by increasing access to nutritious food for all Iowans. Secondly, the initiative will develop social marketing materials that encourage low-resource Iowans to engage in food gardening. Lastly, the initiative will launch a campaign that encourages food gardeners across Iowa to donate their surplus fruits and vegetables to local food banks and food pantries. Read more.
Shaping the Future of Iowa's Food System!
The destiny of Iowa is greatly dependent on how we nourish ourselves. How Iowa feeds itself determines the health, economic, ecological and social capacity to support future generations.
Now is the time to help shape the future of Iowa’s food system. The Iowa Food Systems Council (IFSC) is an emerging, member-based non-profit organization whose charge is to monitor Iowa’s food and health landscape, to encourage and coordinate connections between food system leaders and decision-makers, and to identify policies, programs and research that cultivate a resilient and sustainable food system - a system which builds a healthier food economy, a healthier environment and healthier Iowans.
The IFSC offers a forum for members to gain a deeper understanding of the total food system, its web of interdependence, and the issues needing addressed for the benefit of all concerned. It’s a place to find common ground and partners to address issues effectively. Anyone can be a member - businesses, organizations, government agencies, individuals and students.
Why a Membership Based, Nonprofit Food Policy Council?
Upon thorough evaluation of several governance options, food system stakeholders agreed that a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization offered the most benefits for a state level food policy council in Iowa. These include:
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Non-partisan, independent organization that can build bridges across food system sectors and government entities.
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Greater opportunities to receive private and public funding.
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Membership program which offers diverse revenue, builds leadership and volunteers.
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Organizational perpetuity and the ability to exist beyond lifetime or enrollment of those who begin it.
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Greater flexibility with advocacy.
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Less beholden to legislative and government funding and restrictions.
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Relatively easy to form.
Read more about the history of the Iowa Food Systems Council.
JOIN TODAY! Come to Iowa's Food Table! Become a member of the Iowa Food Systems Council.