The World Food Prize Foundation

Voice Your Choice

SESSION DESCRIPTION
Voice Your Choice is an iPad-based survey tool developed by the Iowa Valley RC&D that allows agencies to gain valuable food preference information from their clients in a non-intrusive way. Voice Your Choice is currently being used by Iowa Valley’s charitable farm program, Grow: Johnson County program, as well as a partner organization Feed Iowa First. Both programs want to know what the consumers want to eat, so that each organization can produce food that matches the food preferences of the communities being served. This tool overcomes the challenge of some clients not wanting to express their opinion for not wanting to seem ungrateful. Voice Your Choice allows for those preferences to be recorded without “invading” the privacy of those individuals. While this tool was developed to allow these two organizations to grow the food that consumers want to eat, it also is translatable to inform food assistance agencies' decisions on what items to make available for clients.

In this session, staff from Iowa Valley RC&D and Feed Iowa First will discuss how this tool was developed, how it works, the benefits and challenges of using it, and how this approach to food assistance works towards community food sovereignty.


ACTION ITEMS

  • The importance of food sovereignty
  • Using technology to engage with underserved populations
  • Collaborating with local technology companies and partners to innovate the way services are provided

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER
Iowa Valley RC&D
IVRCD works to grow local economies, strengthen food systems, foster protection and enhancement of natural resources, and develop awareness for the arts, history, and culture.


RESOURCES


PANELISTS

Míchi López
Access and Equity Coordinator
Iowa Valley RC&D

Speaker Bio

Carter Oswood
Executive Director
Feed Iowa First

Speaker Bio

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