USDA State Outreach Council

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, non-profit 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. 

HOW WOMEN, LAND, AND LEGACY WORKS 

Local teams assist a statewide team in development, promotion, and implementation of local conversations.  The local team includes 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 (local teams and local women).

The Future – 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.