The Leopold Center has proposed a plan to the Iowa Legislature to increase opportunities for local food.

Currently, it is estimated that only 14 percent of the $8 billion Iowans spend annually on food goes to Iowa-raised meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables and other crops.

“Iowa has the potential to grow the local food economy with strategic but modest investments, incentives and better coordination of existing resources,” said Rich Pirog, Leopold Center associate director, in a news release.

Two of the 34 reccomendations in the Iowa Local Food and Farm Plan would require state appropriations. They are to hire a statewide coordinator of a local food program for one year, and to provide two years of support for Iowa’s Farm-to-School program.

Other reccomendations focus on business development, incentives for supporting local food, training and education, food safety programs and data collection to track growth of local food sales.

The plan hopes to impact both direct-to-consumer sales and retail sales.