About Us
About the Iowa Food System Coalition
The Iowa Food System Coalition (IFSC) was formed to chart a course toward a thriving, sustainable, and equitable food system in Iowa. The Coalition continues to grow, building upon the group of more than 40 farm and food system partners representing farmers, nonprofit organizations, government, universities, Extension, public health, food banks and pantries, and public schools who helped develop the plan.
The Coalition launched Setting the Table for All Iowans in 2024–a document to help guide our work over the next decade. Our aim is to increase local food production and consumption, enhance economic opportunity in Iowa, and improve the health and resiliency of our communities.
IFSC’s partners are committed to working together and holding one another accountable to advance the priorities of the Iowa Food System Plan. Our goal is to create lasting change in our food system.
Membership in the Coalition allows organizations to see their work in relation to each other and the whole. It is a tool to help us speak with a unified voice to decision makers, the community, and to each other, and it holds us accountable to our goals, giving us metrics for determining our success.
Mission, vision, & values
Mission
The Iowa Food System Coalition is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to collective action, to advance a thriving and equitable food system in Iowa.
VISION
We envision a food system in Iowa that cultivates health, justice and sustainability for all people, communities and the environment.
VALUES
The coalition’s core values guide our work, reminding us that relationships and the power of the land and the people it nourishes are essential for a resilient and well cared for Iowa. Our values include:
a culture of celebration
pride in local and regional agriculture
social and racial equity
transformative relationships
community empowerment
care for the environment
food for health
IFSC Leadership
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Chris Schwartz
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Giselle Bruskewitz
STEERING COMMITTEE
Program Manager, Iowa Valley Resource & Development
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Ilsa DeWald
STEERING COMMITTEE
Johnson County Local Food and Farm Manager
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Jodie Huegerich
STEERING COMMITTEE
Local Food Program Manager, University of Northern Iowa, Chair Regional Food System Working Group
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Chelsea Krist
STEERING COMMITTEE
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food, Enterprise Development Program
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Aaron Lehman
STEERING COMMITTEE
President, Iowa Farmers Union
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Adam Shriver
STEERING COMMITTEE
Director, Nutrition & Wellness Program, Harkin Institute for Public Policy
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Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt
STEERING COMMITTEE
Assistant Professor Iowa State University Extension and Outreach State Specialist, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
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Kamyar Enshayan
ADVISOR
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Jan Libbey
ADVISOR
Our Partners
