This project will help identify strategies to enhance and grow markets for producers and will focus particularly on the development of a pilot project to make CSA subscriptions an employee wellness benefit by large employers. For their capstone project, a team of MPA (Master of Public Affairs) students will work with Iowa Valley RC&D staff to determine the full scope of work for the project.  

Iowa Valley RC&D is a regional service provider “grounded in community, partnerships, and collaboration as we train and support farmers, build local food infrastructure, generate new innovative markets, improve access of locally grown foods, and model and communicate the positive impact of a future food system that nourishes people and place.”

Iowa Valley seeks to expand markets for local food producers across this state. One outlet for producers of local foods is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), in which consumers buy products directly from a farmer, often through subscriptions or memberships that provide consistent income to the farmer and a share of the locally grown goods to the consumer.