What is food security?

Mike Hamm and Anne Bellows define community food security as a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.

Is Indianapolis a food-secure city?

In short, no. According to SustainLane, of the 50 largest cities ranked in their June 2006 survey, Indianapolis ranked 45th in its ability to weather an oil crisis ("Sustainlane 2006 U.S. City Rankings"). When examining Indianapolis’ situation by category ranking, Local Food and Agriculture, the city does move up in the rankings slightly to 31. SustainLane looks at a city’s access to local food sources such as farmers’ markets, and to a lesser degree, the number of community gardens. Philadelphia, with roughly twice the population of Indianapolis, ranks third in the Local Food and Agriculture category (eighth overall), and “boasts 18 farmers' markets and more than 400 community gardens” (Gerencher). For Indianapolis to compare statistically with Philadelphia, the city would need more than 200 community gardens—currently the city has around sixty, not all of which produce food. Access to local food via farmers’ markets is growing, however. To find out more, download a report on Community Gardening and Food Security in Indianapolis.

What is the purpose of the Indy Sustainable Food Alliance?

The Indy Sustainable Food Alliance promotes sustainable community-driven food solutions. To that end, we look for ways to connect farmers with customers and lift up efforts in Indianapolis that contribute to a sustainable food system.

How do I support a local food system in Indianapolis?

Learn more about food systems and find out how Indianapolis is doing. How are you contributing to Indianapolis' food system? Visit the resources section of this Web site for a list of places to buy local food. This section is updated regularly. Otherwise, consult the Eat Well Guide Web site or Local Harvest for a list of grocers, farmers, and venders who sell locally produced foods.

Download a PDF of the fruit and vegetable harvest calendar for Indiana.

If every person begin voting with their dollars to buy local foods, then more farmers will respond, thus making more local food available ... and you can see quickly where this will go: a vibrant, local food economy will emerge. You can play a part in helping create a vibrant food system in Indianapolis.