News and Articles
10/12/2016
Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners Proclaims October 16th as World Food Day
The Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed October 16, 2016 as World Food Day in Santa Fe County. World Food Day, celebrated in more than 150 countries, promotes worldwide awareness of the importance of food security and the need to make nutritious food available to those who suffer from hunger. World Food Day is a global celebration on October 16th to promote awareness of the importance of food security and the need to make nutritious food available to those who suffer from hunger.
The spirit of World Food Day is central to the goals and actions laid out in the Santa Fe Food Policy Council’ s Food Plan for Santa Fe, “Planning for Santa Fe’s Food Future: Querencia, a Story of Food, Farming, and Friends.” The Food Policy Council is an advisory body to the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County. Their mission is to develop and promote policies that create and maintain a fair and sustainable food system that nourishes everyone in the community, including ensuring access to healthy and locally produced food and protecting the land and resources needed to maintain the area’s important agricultural heritage. The Food Plan, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2014, provides a roadmap to improving access to food, growing food, and learning about food in our communities.
The BCC has supported many local programs and policies that encourage the consumption of healthy food, including the Santa Fe County Health Action Plan, the New Mexico Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for School Meals Program, the New Mexico Double-Up Food Bucks Program in local farmers markets. The Santa Fe County Agriculture and Ranching Implementation Plan, adopted in July 2016, aims to protect land and natural resources, support agricultural operations, promote innovative approaches to agricultural use on County properties, and understand the capacity of our local food system.
Act Locally
World Food Day 2016 is focused on climate change, agriculture, and hunger and provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate our heritage of local agriculture and food and to recognize local groups working to address hunger and food security. These include the Food Depot, Kitchen Angels, Farm to Table, Feeding Santa Fe, Bienvenidos Outreach, Cooking with Kids, Earth CARE, the Institute for American Indian Arts, the Santa Fe Farmers Market and Institute, La Familia Medical Center, and the Santa Fe County Cooperative Extension Office.
With a changing climate, besides food production and agricultural practices, people can also change daily habits. The World Food Day organizers have provided a list of actions individuals can take at http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/2016/climate-actions/en.
Join others in taking action against hunger on World Food Day. Contact one of the many local organizations involved in ending hunger to find out how you can volunteer to fight hunger and curb the effects of climate change.
Contact: Pam Roy, (505) 660-8403 www.santafefoodpolicy.org. For information about the Agriculture and Ranching Implementation Plan, contact Erin Ortigoza, Senior Planner, at 505.986.2452 or email at eortigoza@santafecountynm.gov.