Environmental stewardship
Connecting Land, Environment, and Health in Iowa
Goal: To ensure our food systems meet human needs while also respecting the integrity, stability and beauty of the natural world and the wellbeing of all of its inhabitants.
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The environmental impact of the food we eat is a result of decisions made at every stage of the food supply chain. With 85% of Iowa’s land and almost 50% of the world’s habitable land used for agriculture (Ritchie & Roser, 2024), these decisions have an outsized impact on the quality of water, soil, and air - locally and around the globe. Impacts are also felt in the vitality of our rural communities. In order to advance a thriving, equitable food system that works for everyone, we must ensure that our environment is protected and that future generations have access to the natural resources they need to flourish.
Over the last 200 years, Iowa’s rich prairies and wildlands have been transformed into vast agricultural fields. This massive conversion has provided many people with food, fiber, and fuel. But it has also impacted the resilience of Iowa’s land, the balance of wild spaces across the state, and created serious environmental problems such as impaired waterways, increased flooding, air pollution, topsoil erosion, and the loss of biodiversity. (Jordan 2022, Sierra Club, Willett et al. 2019, Clark et al 2020, Stillerman 2021, Mutel, 2022).
Modern agriculture’s impact on water and air have serious health implications. For example, many experts suspect that Iowa’s status as the state with the second highest cancer rate in 2023 and the only state with an increasing rate of cancer is tied, at least in part, to practices linked to industrial agriculture (Jordan, 2024).
Agriculture is also a significant contributor to the production of greenhouse gasses that are driving climate change.
Iowa’s role in agriculture has significant influence on policy at the national, state, and local levels. Direction set in this state can have transformative impact across the Farm Belt states.
We know it is possible to have a thriving agricultural system that meets all of our needs while protecting the air, water, soil, and the beauty of nature. If we embrace sustainable practices and promote development that considers the link between farm viability, human health, and environmental health, we can honor the land while securing a thriving, resilient future for all who call Iowa home.
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The Environmental Stewardship Team is dedicated to building partnerships and creating capacity to support the strategies outlined below. This team is currently led by the Harkin Institute of Public Policy and welcomes others who are playing a critical role in or interested in contributing to this space. There are several existing environmental initiatives across the state, and this IFSC priority area is an opportunity to amplify their work and to build connections between other groups and individuals with shared values.
• Adam Shriver, Harkin Institute for Public Policy
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To achieve our goal of food systems that produce nutritious food, while protecting the integrity of the environment, and strengthening communities the following strategies and actions are urgently needed.
Strategy 1: Identify and develop policy changes needed to advance environmental sustainability and food system development at the local, state, and federal level.
Strategy 2: Support & invest in farmers and food producers as leaders of environmental stewardship.
Strategy 3: Educate and communicate about agriculture, the environment, and public health.
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• Iowa’s stature as a leader in agriculture - nationally and globally - means decisions about farming methods in this state have particular influence on sustainable practices around the world.
• Cost share programs and technical support through USDA and non profits in Iowa play a big role in helping farmers take on the risk of adopting new conservation practices.
• A new 10 acre solar farm - the first utility-scale agrivoltaics project in the Midwest – will raise bees and plant vegetables, fruits and pollinator habitat - demonstrating innovations between crop production and renewable energy.
• Read the Existing Conditions section in this chapter to learn about these and other important details about this priority.
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Participants in the Iowa Food System Coalition work together, rely upon each other, and hold one another accountable in the work to advance the priorities of the Iowa Food System Plan. Interested in working together to advance a thriving, equitable food system in Iowa? Fill out our Interest Form here.
Photo: Integrating pollinator habitat enhances biodiversity and supports important beneficial insects on farms large and small. Source: ISU STRIPS