The Des Moines City Council created the Des Moines Food Security Task Force on Monday evening to address the needs of residents and encourage homegrown produce. The task force will follow top urban agriculture research, develop resource guides, provide recommendations and promote best practices to address food insecurity in Des Moines. The Food Security Task Force will be composed of seven members with the following backgrounds: 

• Three people with urban farm experience in Des Moines.
• One restaurant or other business owner who sources and uses local food.
• One person with experience caring for fruit and nut trees.
• One person who has raised poultry or other livestock in the city.
• One farmer or other market professional involved with farm-to-market production.

Iowa Stops Hunger is a yearlong Business Publications Corp. initiative to bring awareness and action to food insecurity in Iowa. Read additional stories on Iowastopshunger.com.