Courtney Long

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT COURTNEY LONG

Courtney Long is a program manager with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development and Community and Economic Development, and Director of the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. She also is the Iowa Extension Disaster Education delegate. CURRENT RESEARCH AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT:Programming is tied to resilient community food systems and mixed-methods research and facilitation process with place-based communities nationwide. This includes facilitation for coalitions and stakeholders interested in food systems development and disaster response, recovery, and resilience. Strategic Doing, Collective Impact, participatory research, and public-interest design are integrated to encourage unique facilitation and engagement practices within community. Certification courses developed: Local Food Leader, Community Food Systems, Resilient Food Systems and Mapping 101, with multiple levels of participation and train-the-trainer options for capacity creation. Specific research interests include understanding resilient community food systems, community values and Extension’s role in support for developing and maintaining a resilient food system related to COVID-19 and natural disasters.Research: assessing the capacity and level of resilience in community food systems and how communities can withstand different kinds of shocks arising from [natural disaster] and COVID-19; understanding how land-grant universities can support community resilience and strengthen food systems; and assessing the level of community awareness and support for community-based food businesses. Research involves participatory and action-based, and mixed-methods research. Primary areas of interest include place-based qualities of resilient community food systems; community actor’s attitudes towards resilient community food systems; and land-grant university engagement within resilient community food systems. Through participatory engagement and public-interest design for food systems, research includes action-based implementation projects geared toward place-based and cultural needs. Additional research includes understanding food system frameworks and language and specific tactics and understanding the impacts that our food systems have in areas of our community. Research ties to understanding community capitals and the intersection of community capitals and food system impacts.