The Sustainable Food Systems Project

Excerpt of Project Summary

[Full Summary]

Project Goal: To enhance the sustainability of the University of Iowa food system in the areas of a) Human Health and Well Being, b) Ecological Health and c) Regional Prosperity, by employing a Factor-10 approach.

Project Objectives:

• Objective 1:  Convene, for a total of 5 meetings, a diverse working group consisting of at least 20 total key university members, farmer networks and supporting organizations who agree to assess and improve the University of Iowa food system in the key areas of a) Human Health and Well Being, b) Ecological Health and c) Regional Prosperity.
• Objective 2:  Draft a five-year strategic plan and a preliminary set of indicators for the university that would take measurable steps toward improving sustainability of the UI food system in the key areas of a) Human Health and Well Being, b) Ecological c) Health and Regional Prosperity.
• Objective 3:  Sustain the work.  Actively strategize about actualizing the goals in the strategic plan with the working group and include those strategies in the five-year plan

Objectives and Strategies

• Objective 1: Convene, for a total of 5 meetings, a diverse working group consisting of at least 20 total key university members, farmer networks and supporting organizations who agree to share and assess data, to build on group assets, to constructively discuss values and goals and lay a foundation of trust and respect upon which the strategic plan can be built
  • Strategy 1:  Form a core steering committee of at least 5 people for the working group that will meet monthly to help work through specific issues and keep the project on track
  • Strategy 2:  Use an asset-building approach to pool data, assess skills and resources
  • Strategy 3:  To keep differences from becoming insurmountable barriers to progress, establish rules of courtesy and conduct that participants agree to at the start of the project
  • Strategy 4:  Provide local refreshments for meetings
    • Solicit funds or food donations from participants
    • Solicit funds or food donations from other external sources
  • Strategy 5:  To ensure a diverse and relatively balanced group, list participants by category (UI faculty, UI staff, UI student, Farmer, Business, Support Organization, Community Member, etc.)
    • Within those groups, look for opportunities to actively include minorities, women and other marginalized voices
  • Strategy 6:  Report on or locate information regarding similar efforts, previous research conducted at UI or other relevant data to inform group activities

• Objective 2: Draft a five-year strategic plan and a preliminary set of indicators for the university that would take measurable steps toward the sustainability of the food system
  • Strategy 1:  Consider an external meeting facilitator to assist with planning process
    • Solicit in-kind donation of professional services
    • Solicit external funds for contract services
  • Strategy 2:  Determine the baseline data needed to develop indicators
    • Baseline data currently available
    • Data that need to be collected before meaningful indicators can be developed
    • Data that can be collected after the indicator is articulated in the 5-year plan

• Strategy 3:  Develop sustainability indicators that are achievable and measurable
  • Draw on current published data regarding sustainability indicators developed and used by other institutions or organizations
• Objective 3:  Sustain the work.  Actively strategize about actualizing the goals in the strategic plan with the working group and include those strategies in the five-year plan
  • Strategy 1:  Plan beyond the plan.  Articulate specific short term and mid-term action steps
  • Strategy 2:  Assign discrete tasks to working group members
  • Strategy 3:  Solicit funds and other support to sustain the working group beyond the requirements of this proposal

Anticipated Project Partners (*confirmed)

The following list of anticipated project partners is growing in numbers and diversity.  It is our goal to include a rich mix of voices for this project to ensure that our process is holistically conceived and carried through; and that the project results are of significance to all participants and the constituencies they represent.

*Regenia Bailey, Community Member

*Greg Black, Service Director, Residence Dining Services, University of Iowa

*City of Iowa City Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee

Dave Collins, College of Business, University of Iowa

*Jim Dane, Agriculture Committee, Iowa City Chamber of Commerce

*Joan Dolezal, Director, Food and Nutrition, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

*Kelley Donham, ICASH, Department of Environmental Health, University of Iowa

*William Furlong, Farmer, Community Foundation of Johnson County Board Member

*Eileen Fisher, Department of Biology, University of Iowa

*Meggan Fisher, ICASH

*Phil Forbes, Farm Manager, Marilyn Farms

*Barry Greenberg, Director of Food Services, Iowa Memorial Union Foodservice, University of Iowa

*Dave Jackson, Assistant to the Associate Vice President, Facilities Management, The University of Iowa

*Jennifer Jordan, Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, City of Iowa City

*Craig Just, Engineering Department, University of Iowa

*Susan Jutz, Farmer, ZJ Farm and Local Harvest CSA and President, Practical Farmers of Iowa

*Lucie Laurian, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Iowa

*John Lowe, Professor and Department Head, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa

*Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld, Department of Anthropology, University of Iowa

*Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center

*Joanna Mouming, Kalona Organics

*James Nisly, Farmer/Owner, Organic Greens and President of the Johnson County Local Food Alliance

*Michael Ott, Executive Director, BIOWA

*Rangaswammy Rajagopal, Department of Geography, University of Iowa

  Rick Robinson, Environmental Policy Advisor, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

*Matt Russell, State Food Policy Project Coordinator, Drake University Agricultural Law Center

*Kyle Sieck, President, University of Iowa Environmental Coalition

*Shelly Squire, Farmer/Owner Squire Squash, Accounting Manager, Facilities Management, University of Iowa

*Christine Taliga, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Iowa Valley Resource Conservation &Development

*James Throgmorton, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Iowa

University of Iowa Student Government

*Rob Utterback, Hawkeye Foodservice Distribution

*Ed Williams, Farmer/Owner, Century Farm Harvest Heat

*Deborah Zumbach, Purchasing, University of Iowa

Meeting Schedule and Primary Goals

                The primary goals listed here are to take place during the meeting or before the next scheduled meeting:

1. First week of April, 2007

·         Introductions and overview of project goals

·         With the working group, and using a participatory approach, review and augment existing data regarding purchasing, university food policy and contracts, food processing, student buying habits, food waste and disposal and overall system efficiency

·         Discuss and achieve consensus on a group process

·         Assign participants to begin formulating their values and goals; expected risks and payoffs associated with this project

2. First week of May, 2007

·         Share data collected after first meeting

·         Working in small groups, begin articulating group assets, values and goals

·         Discuss areas of contention and areas of cohesion

·         Create a working draft of group values and goals

3. First week of September, 2007

·         Share data collected after last meeting

·         Discuss emerging issues

·         Draft strategic plan

·         Develop next steps

4. First week of October, 2007

·         Present a draft of strategic plan to University of Iowa community

·         Collect feedback

5. First week of November, 2007

·        Review reactions from public

·        Revise the plan

·        Discuss next steps

·        Exit surveys

6. First week of December, 2007

·         Announce and publicize the final strategic plan to public

·         Draft report for Leopold Center

Contact info:

Leah Wilson

Project Coordinator

319-621-3009

leah.wilson@jclfa.org

Funds for this project have been provided by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act, the Leopold Center supports the development of profitable farming systems that conserve natural resources. More information about the Leopold Center is available on the web at: www.leopold.iastate.edu, or by calling the Center at (515) 294-3711.