Farmers Leading Community Change
Southwest Iowa producers take local food access into their own hands with the help of LFPA
Access to fresh, locally grown food is a real challenge in rural Iowa. Producers want to see their products reach the mouths of people in their communities, but also need to make their own ends meet. Life 5B is a farmer-led community food distribution organization in Southwest Iowa that gets local products to local people made possible by the Iowa LFPA program.
Shad Swanson manages Life 5B along with growing produce on his farm in Page County, Garden of Paradise. Having grown up on a farm himself, Swanson has noticed the difficulties people face in getting fresh food,
“...there’s a lot of people that are rural and don’t have access to vehicles…or they’re older and they don’t move around the greatest. We want to make sure we get food to them instead of having to make them come drive to us wherever we are,” explained Swanson. His work is motivated by this lack of access in nearby counties and the growing list of people who fall through the cracks of the current food access system.
Life 5B leverages its community connections to provide seasonal food boxes to people who need them by working together. Producers in Page, Montgomery, Taylor, Mills, Fremont, and Adam Counties confirm what products they have available for the week every Monday. Then Swanson uses that information to create a box of diverse local products, the producers deliver their produce to cold storage mid-week, and the boxes are then assembled and delivered directly to people’s front doors by a local delivery service.
Tyler Bartley, owner of Sown Local Foods and a Life 5B producer, was introduced to the LFPA program early on. He specializes in leafy greens grown in a greenhouse but has recently been able to expand to squash, watermelon, and pumpkins as he has scaled his business after experiencing success with the program. He has seen many positive benefits to the community and his farm.
As Bartley said, “If we can really expand on some of these programs and make some meaningful connections, we can not only feed the people and create some employment but also expand that out to other stuff. We’re barely scratching the surface.” In a short amount of time, LFPA has made a large impact on community food access in Southwest Iowa.
Last year Life 5B distributed an average of ten boxes per week to individuals and families in need, without citizenship or income qualifications. After a successful year, they are hoping to offer thirty boxes per week in 2024. So far the boxes have included different varieties of vegetables and fruits, but Swanson plans to connect with local meat, honey, and egg producers.
Swanson has witnessed many benefits from LFPA as a producer himself including higher prices and a new market for products that might otherwise be wasted. As a community member, he sees the LFPA filling the need for local products that are hard to come by in his rural community.
“From a producer standpoint, the LFPA gives a high market value…. they know where their food's going and they're getting paid [a fair price for it].”
“From a producer standpoint, the LFPA gives a high market value. We signed up a half a dozen or more new producers this year in our area being able to use that as a selling point because they know where their food's going and they're getting paid [a fair price for it],” Swanson stated.
The LFPA program has made it possible for both Sown Local and Garden of Paradise to expand their operations and prepare for the future. The additional funds from selling their products through the program have been used to build infrastructure, purchase seeds, and even move to permanent locations.
“If the real goal is to make a difference, I can’t think of a more strategic way to help local farmers and feed our community,” said Bartley.
Although the program looks different for everyone, its impact has reached people all across the state and continues to meet the needs of Iowans.
To learn more about the program visit the Iowa LFPA website and read the progress report here.
