Mission & Goals

The mission of the Linn County Food Systems Council is to bring together agriculture, food industry, educators, economic development, conservation, and hunger representatives onto one council to enact transformative change in our food system. To guide and advise the county on the necessary policies and programs that will make Linn County's food system equitable, accessible, secure, diverse, resilient & regenerative.

Values

• Leadership
• Equity and Social Justice
• Education and Engagement
• Health and Wellness
• Partnership and Cooperation
• Environmental Protection
• Economic Development

Goals

We Are Leaders

Provide leadership through example. We lead through our actions, our initiatives, our policies, and our dedication to building a more resilient food system. We understand the enormity of the challenges we face in protecting the food system while also making it more accessible. We understand there are still untapped economic opportunities it can provide. We are a force for change in our food system.

We Are Equals

Advocate for equity and social justice. We firmly believe that transformative change in our food system will not happen until we have racial justice and equity. We hold ourselves accountable for the impact of our food system decisions and will continually strive to counter structural racism, build trust and find common ground.  

We Are Educators

Develop and implement an education and awareness campaign. We strive to teach and to never stop learning. We collect and disseminate local, regional, and national food system data, available research & food system mapping to accurately display the current state of our food system. We educate residents, businesses and community leaders about the issues and challenges in our food system in an effort to make a more food literate population. We continually strive to educate ourselves about our food system in order to make sensible and more informed decisions and recommendations.

We Are Healthy

Advocate for policies and initiatives that improve the overall health and wellness of our community. We partner with local health and wellness organizations in their efforts to develop policies and initiatives that endeavor to increase access to healthy and nutritious foods, improve literacy regarding healthy food choices, and lessen the burden of food insecurity and hunger in our community.  

We Are Partners

Build new coalitions & partnerships in the food system. We foster a cooperative, collaborative and inclusive working environment between residents, disparate socio-economic groups, local community groups, regional food system working groups, private enterprise, political leaders, and cities and counties in order to build a more equitable and resilient food system.

We Are Protectors

Protect and preserve the environmental resources vital to a diverse and regenerative food production system. We advocate for and support policies and initiatives designed to reduce food waste, protect our surface and subsurface water systems, lessen soil erosion, improve overall soil health, and protect pollinator habitat.

We Are Profitable

Develop innovative economic development strategies and actions steps to build a more diverse and robust food system. Develop strategies to increase access to affordable land, increase local food processing opportunities, expand the number of available markets, provide living agriculture wages, increase the availability of skilled farm labor, promote a greater diversification of local produced crops, increase support for entrepreneurial agriculture businesses, support our existing farmers and continually strive to keep food dollars from leaving Linn County and the State of Iowa.