It is nearly impossible to imagine a Thanksgiving gathering without food, but unfortunately, there are some who live in communities that are not food secure, and they will not be able to have big Thanksgiving feasts.

So what exactly does being “food secure” mean? It means that the community has an adequate supply of affordable and nutritious food. You may find yourself picturing a rural area without stores to purchase food and without the proper infrastructure to farm. This is one example of an area that is not food secure, but food security issues can also exist in a city. It is possible to live in an urban area with little or no public transportation, no car, and no grocery store larger than a convenience store for miles. Thankfully, many communities are beginning to come together to tackle issues of food security with various innovative methods.

• Check out the results from the ICMA MSU 2012 Food Policy and Programs Survey to see ways in which local government can help to make your community more food secure—for instance, by promoting rooftop gardens, encouraging stores to buy local foods, and creating ordinances to ensure that grocery store are sited in underserved locations.
• Urban agriculture has multiple benefits beyond helping to increase food security, such as generating income and employment. These benefits, along with others, are explored in the Scoping Paper Feeding into the Development of UNEP’s Position on Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture by the RUAF (Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture & Food Security) Foundation.
• In Williamsburg, Virginia, it is now possible to use SNAP—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—at the Williamsburg Farmers Market. This is a growing trend across the country as it increases attendance and purchases at farmers markets and gives low-income families an opportunity to purchase the freshest food available.
• The article “Property Development and Food Policy” illustrates how the City of Aurora, Colorado, is taking food production into consideration as part of its property redevelopment plans.
• To learn more about food security visit the topic page to see more documents, articles, blog posts, and past questions and to get in touch with topic experts.

Consider how food secure your community is and which solutions your community could explore to make sure that all residents have access to high-quality food.

Robin Saywitz

ICMA Knowledge Network Intern

rsaywitz@icma.org