AMES — The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, housed within Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development, has released a new documentary video highlighting food systems resiliency in Marshall County.

The video, produced by Model Farm Creative Agency, shows how support from ISU Extension and Outreach — through Marshall County staff and Master Gardener volunteers — and community partnerships helped local food systems adapt to meet heightened needs following compounding disasters: the 2018 tornado, the 2020 derecho and added pressures of COVID-19.

The successive disasters strained households across the county, damaging homes and limiting families’ ability to afford and access food. As food insecurity rose, ISU Extension and Outreach Marshall County staff and Master Gardener volunteers stepped in to help strengthen the local food network. Together, they now maintain 11 community donation gardens in and around Marshalltown and coordinate and help stock a network of more than 30 little free pantries.

For more information on current programming and resources in Marshall County, visit the Marshall County Community Food System Program web page.

The documentary also features partner organizations, including Emergency Food Box, Mid-Iowa Community Action, the Food Bank of Iowa, local schools and Rotary, illustrating how coordinated community response can strengthen food access during and after crisis.

“Working with Marshall County to understand the impacts of the tornado and derecho helped reveal the unique challenges that farmers, food businesses and individuals have. When working together in 2023 to develop the little free food pantry program, it was incredible to see the collective work and positive impact that the food access programs had on the community,” said Courtney Long, food systems program manager at ISU Extension and Outreach and AgMRC director. “I’m thankful for the partnership with Model Farm to showcase both how natural disasters and COVID affect communities and their ability to showcase the momentum for future change.”

To learn more about the Resilient Community Food Systems project and view the documentary film, as well as reports and projects from additional states, visit AgMRC’s resilient food systems web page.

For more information, contact Long at court7@iastate.edu.