Southeast Iowa, June 11, 2024 — In 2023, a dedicated coalition of farmers, consumers, and regional food producers convened to address the pressing challenges facing the 10-county-wide food system in Southeast Iowa. (Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Van Buren, Wapello, Davis, and Washington county.) The group discovered that more than 95% of the food produced in Southeast Iowa is consumed outside the region, traveling an average of 2,000 miles before reaching its destination. This means that profits and products generated locally are benefiting other areas. Recognizing these issues is the first step toward creating solutions. The mission is to boost awareness and demand for locally grown and raised foods. To this end, the Southeast Iowa Regional Food Web has been formed, and community support is needed.
Revata, in partnership with three local non-profits—The Belle Center, Eat Greater Des Moines, and NewBoCo—has embarked on a comprehensive needs assessment for the regional food system. Revata is a professional services firm specializing in market research, data analytics, and grant writing. For this initiative to succeed, it is essential to engage with as many stakeholders in the food system as possible, including farmers, processors, distributors, warehouses, and consumers such as schools, prisons, and restaurants.
The first phase of the needs assessment involves distributing a short survey to these food system participants. The target is to gather responses from 3,000-5,000 participants. Given the region’s low population and rural nature, this is a significant challenge. Organizations and individuals are invited to participate and provide data that could aid in these efforts, collaborating to enhance the community for everyone in Southeast Iowa. Respondents should visit: http://www.seiafoodweb.org/
About Southeast Iowa Regional Food Web:
The Southeast Iowa Regional Food Web is dedicated to creating a sustainable and resilient local food system that supports local farmers, boosts the economy, and provides fresh, healthy food to
the community. Through collaboration and innovation, the aim is to make Southeast Iowa a model for regional food systems nationwide.
“Since we have the best farm ground in the world, we have a relatively stable climate still (changing, but stable), and we have water. Why shouldn’t we be growing more of our own food? And more to the point- why shouldn’t we be processing our own food, distributing more of our own food? Really the food web is a local resilient food system made up of every aspect that it would take to get local production produced, distributed and consumed,” states Bob Ferguson, business and non-profit leader.
He is extensively involved in the Sustainable Living Coalition and the Southeast Iowa Food Hub.
Morgan Hoenig, a local farmer and owner of Mogo Organic Farm states, “A more robust local food web in our rural community would be very helpful to my farm business. Marketing and distribution are the most difficult parts for farmers like me. Whether selling at a local farmers market or driving my product to wholesale buyers in bigger cities, it sometimes feels like I’m spending more time hosting to sell the food than it takes me to grow and harvest the food.”
Revata Consulting invites all stakeholders (farmers, processors, distributors, warehouses, and consumers such as schools, prisons, and restaurants) to join us in this crucial initiative. If you have data or insights that could contribute to the needs assessment, please reach out. Revata is eager to discuss how we can work together to strengthen our local food system.
For more information or to schedule a brief conversation, please contact Revata Consulting.