SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An action plan to address food insecurity in the greater Sacramento area is underway.
The 2021 Sacramento Region Food System Action Plan is created by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation (Foundation) and Valley Vision. They said came up with strategies to build a skilled workforce, support the next generation of farms and food entrepreneurs, reduce food waste and promote food literacy.
According to an analysis made for the Regional Action Plan, the number of people who face food insecurity in the four-county greater Sacramento region has increased since 2019.
There were about 286,000 people in Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties that experienced food insecurity, which is an increase of 26,000 people from 2019.
Linda Beech Cutler, the CEO of the Foundation, said the plan is a road map to strengthen the region's food system to better serve people.
“The reality remains that, even though our region is blessed with great agricultural abundance, the COVID-19 pandemic and recent wildfire seasons have exacerbated persistent health and economic disparities in our community,” Cutler said.
The authors of the plan said it's needed because food resources in the Greater Sacramento region, as well throughout the world, are facing increasing pressure due to environmental impacts, inequitable resource and distribution systems, supply-chain disruption and disparities in food security among other reason.
The action plan uses research from 2015 by Valley Vision and the Foundation to assess the area's food economy and to offer recommendations in an effort to create a better food system.
To read the 2021 Sacramento Region Food System Action Plan in its entirety, click here.
