The Iowa Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (ILFPA) recently surpassed $2 million in food value sourced, distributed, and received through the program across the state of Iowa, a milestone for the year-old organization.
Since its inception, 230 farmers and producers ranging from novice to experienced have sold their produce through the ILFPA, successfully providing for the community while fairly reimbursing the farmer.
According to a news release, the ILFPA program plans to buy from at least 300 Iowa farmers this year using fair purchasing standards, with the aim to cover every county in Iowa through collaborations with 15 distributors, such as food hubs, food banks, and the Meskwaki Nation. These partners will handle aggregation, distribution, and local connections to make a positive impact on food access in Iowa. The program stresses a decentralized method, empowering local experts to address community needs with customized implementation plans.
“The challenge of food insecurity is a state-wide and global issue. People lack access to food, said Giselle Bruskewitz, Iowa Valley RC&D senior program director. “In the state of Iowa, we are finding we can produce a significant amount of food locally to feed ourselves but we have a distribution problem. The Iowa LFPA is working to address this challenge by connecting the dots between our talented farmers and underserved Iowa communities with strong partnerships and our local food infrastructure.”
Funding for the ILFPA is made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service through the American Rescue Plan and USDA Commodity Credit Corporation, which was awarded to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS). The IDALS program is managed in partnership with Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development. A total of $5.67 million over a span of three years was awarded to Iowa to continue building on the strengths in the local food system.
The ILFPA achieved early, nationally recognized, success in purchasing high-quality food from local farmers and producers at a fair price and distributing it to underserved communities throughout the state.
To learn more about the program and how to support it, visit www.iowalfpa.org, https://iowaagriculture.gov/ILFPA, or contact Iowa Valley RC&D’s LFPA team at info@iowalfpa.org.
