Reflection, Empowerment, and Co-constructed Research: Leadership Lessons from an Initiative to Trans
- Mar 5, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 15, 2022
Narrative Title
Reflection, Empowerment, and Co-constructed Research: Leadership Lessons from an Initiative to Transform Iowa Agriculture
Summary
Lisa and the STRIPS team have built long-term, trusting relationships with farmers, farmland owners, agribusinesses, government agencies, and NGOs to test new methods for conserving soil and reducing agricultural runoff into streams and rivers flowing from Iowa into the Mississippi Basin. Having proven their methods and gained local and regional support for them, she is now working with agribusinesses to scale them throughout the Midwest.
Narrative and Teaching Note Narrative
What stands out here is the sequencing: the STRIPS team earned trust with farmers and farmland owners first, then proved the methods, and only now scales through agribusinesses. Too many conservation efforts invert that order and stall. Reducing agricultural runoff before it reaches the Mississippi Basin is slow, relational work, and this narrative captures why patience matters. My students unwind with Blox Fruits Codes, but this is the kind of leadership case they remember.
I saw eggy car recently and was shocked at how addictive the simplicity can get. Driving over hills and balancing the egg makes every little movement feel crucial, and it had me coming back for “just one more run.”