Davenport, IOWA – According to the state officials, this program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Local Food Purchase Assistance program and is expected to bring $1.8 million to farmers for food grown, raised and processed in Iowa.
Officials also said that the program is focused on building partnerships between Iowa producers and organizations that support underserved communities.
It is expected that at least 300 farmers will benefit from the program.
The program has a tiered equitable purchasing standard and will create 2,000 distribution sites with food banks, food hub distribution partners and the Meskwaki Nation.
Iowa food hubs will purchase, aggregate, distribute and market products from local farmers across the state.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, released the following statement:
“As consumer demand for locally grown and produced foods increases, our farmers are rising to meet the challenge. This program builds a framework for long term partnerships that will grow economic opportunities for farmers, increase access to local food and improve supply chain resiliency.”