Hometown Harvest
Brief Outline of the Project
Hometown Harvest of Southeast Iowa is a partnership between local produce growers and community developers that strengthens local food markets, creates opportunities to expand local food production, and educates the community on benefits of using fresh, local produce. Partner institutions include local living economy organization FairfieldFirst!, local banks, the Fairfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, school districts, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, university students, and more.
The mission of Hometown Harvest is to create a vibrant community-based food system that provides easy access to healthy foods for all members of the community, entrepreneurial opportunities for value-added enterprises, and a dynamic local economy.
Why do it and what motivates you?
Food has long been the foundation for culture and society. As communities have trended away from local and regional cuisine and seasonal eating, health has declined. Community identity has also declined as corporate aggregates create a universal brand of living. Food diversity has diminished in the face of centralized agriculture. Wellness has been traded for convenience and fast-food, and there is concern for the well-being of communities.
We are motivated by the potential of our community to provide delicious, healthy foods suited for production in the regional climate. These foods are diverse and create cultural identity, a common bond among people in the community.
Your vision, for your project AND for Fairfield as a sustainable community:
One fundamental aspect of community is the drive to succeed, flourish, and thrive. Food is foundational to survival and prosperity, and communities that actively support and engage local food production are actively embracing their own ability to thrive and prosper. When food is a natural part of the community web, the community has fundamental wealth.
Our vision is to help food regain its place as an important factor to Fairfield’s overall prosperity. The envisioned abundance will develop community ties and relationships which further strengthen and support the goals of sustainability.
Your philosophy of sustainability:
Sustainability is the ability of people to find, create, and adopt solutions that are comparable to natural systems processing – solutions that do not have end-products such as waste and pollution. Sustainable solutions respect life and our natural resources and address the needs of people and communities in balance with what the earth and sun can provide.
The Big Picture (how your project fits into the larger Sustainability Project):
A local foods project fits into the larger Sustainability Project of Fairfield by addressing one of the root concerns of a community: access to healthy food and food sovereignty. Sustainably-produced foods require few if any chemical inputs and less energy than our current conventional model. Additionally, sustainably-managed lands restore natural hydrological cycles and natural landscapes. As we address the quality of life we will leave for the future generations, we want to leave them with good food, clean water, and clean air, all of which are interdependent within communities and ecosystems.
One thought for the community and City of Fairfield:
Know the people who grow your food, for these are the people in whom you place trust for care of your well-being.
How others can get involved:
Buy local foods at the Farmers Market, ask for local foods in your favorite restaurants and grocery stores, and ask school districts to reconnect children with food through school meal programs, school gardens, and field trips to small, local farms. Reconnect with nature! Educate and advocate for local foods at every venue available.
