The
Women, Land, and Legacy project is a statewide outreach effort on behalf
of the USDA State Outreach Council (SOC). The SOC includes USDA agencies,
state and local agencies/organizations, nonprofit organizations, and
faith-based organizations. The goal of the SOC is to gather information
about program and outreach needs of under served groups; ways to address
these needs; barriers to participation in USDA programs; and effective
dissemination of information to these groups. Outreach to women involved
with agriculture in Iowa has been identified as a need, thus the Women,
Land, and Legacy project.
Local teams assist a
statewide team in development, promotion and 
implementation of local conversations. The local team includes the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Natural
Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA),
Extension Service, local
women, and other local partners.
Local, structured
conversations in the form of small group dialogues are taking place with
women in 2004/05 in the following counties:
- Lyon
- Cass
- Howard
- Wapello
- Marshall
The local conversations
will produce the foundation for educational strategies for women
involved in agriculture. Through the local conversations, women will
identify:
- Their connections
to the land
- Issues for Iowa's
agricultural women
- Information and
education needs
- Assistance needs
- Most effective
education strategies to use for the region
In 2005 and beyond,
educational strategies for agricultural women will take place, utilizing
the locally led process (localteams and local women).
Through
the local, grassroots efforts of Women, Land, and Legacy, local networks
of women will be established. These networks will provide ongoing
support and resources for women connected to the land and will help
build capacity within the ever growing community of agricultural women
in Iowa.
