Women, Land and Legacy’s (WLL) mission is to bring Iowa’s farm/rural women together in local listening and learning sessions and to provide tools and opportunities to empower them to act on their landscapes and in their communities.  

As WLL is grounded in a network of local women, it is based on the abilities, interests, and needs of local women.   Reports from initial listening and learning sessions (available at www.womenlandandlegacy.org/reports) show convincing evidence that WLL helps build confidence among women, giving them a voice, a sense of empowerment, and more connections and influence, thus expanding the human resources available in rural communities.

Team members from Iowa, Tama, & Poweshiek counties discuss ties to their communities.

The WLL State Team has begun working with 3 local teams to build the next phase of WLL to further foster this personal growth experienced by WLL participants and link it not only to the land, but to their communities. Planning for this phase is based on findings that show women feel that they work more effectively through social leadership: encouraging participation and connecting people.

A grant from USDA Rural Development has provided funding for this work. The grant provides for:

1. Working with local teams to provide tools and opportunities for better understanding of leadership as a shared activity rather than a role of individuals in positions of power
2. Providing tools to local teams to connect this leadership to small, rural community and business needs
3. Updating and connecting the current website and creating a newsletter to better communicate and connect with WLL local teams and the general public. 
4. Exploring and creating social media strategies to meet the ongoing requests of local teams to better connect and learn from each other
5. Documenting outcomes to help agencies and organizations better serve women as they strive towards meeting their goals for their families, land and businesses
   

   Discussion of how women lead.

Stay tuned for further updates to this project.