Council Creates Des Moines Food Security Task Force

Des Moines IA

25 December, 2020

2:04 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Des Moines: December 21, 2020 DES MOINES, IOWA – Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 – Not just in Des Moines, but throughout the nation, climate change has significantly impacted food security and will continue to do so. The City Council tonight acknowledged this pressing issue by creating the Des Moines Food Security Task Force to help address the needs of residents. "COVID-19 has really brought the issue of food security to the forefront," said Councilman Carl Voss. "The goal of the Des Moines Food Security Task Force is to strengthen our community and ultimately provide residents with resources to grow food for themselves." The Food Security Task Force will be composed of seven members with the following backgrounds, skills, experience and abilities: Three people with urban farm experience in the City of Des Moines One restaurant or other business owner who sources and uses local foods One person with experience caring for fruit and nut trees One person who has raised poultry or other livestock within the City One farmer or other market professional involved with farm-to-market production "This past year, the pandemic disrupted our food security a bit, and the risk of serious disruption is only going to get worse as climate change advances," said Kathy Byrnes, founder and director of Birds & Bees Urban Farm in the Sherman Hill neighborhood. "People are eager to learn more about growing their own food, so kudos to the Des Moines City Council for its leadership to move this initiative forward." The Food Security Task Force will follow top urban agriculture research in rolling out this initiative. The group will also develop resource guides, provide recommendations and promote best practices in their efforts to address food insecurity within the City of Des Moines. This press release was produced by the City of Des Moines. The views expressed here are the author's own.