Celebrate Food Sovereignty Prize, Join Shawnee Forest “Resurgence”

By Mary Hanson Harrison
Des Moines Branch

More days to celebrate are coming up SOON! The US Food Sovereignty Alliance is presenting their 2019 Food Sovereignty Prize on October 10 in Ferguson, Missouri (we are a part of this organization). WILPF Des Moines hosted several Food Sovereignty Prize ceremonies over the last ten years.

We are also invited to attend The Resurgence: 2019 North American Forest & Climate Movement Convergence from October 11-14 in the Shawnee Forest, Herod, Illinois, culminating on Indigenous People’s Day.

Please see below and review the websites for more information and actions!

Food Sovereignty Prize, October 10, 2019: Ferguson, Missouri

This yearly prize by the US Food Sovereignty Alliance recognizes “the inspirational efforts demonstrated by grassroots organizations and networks seeking to realize the right to people’s food sovereignty and the scaling of agroecology.”

Here is the invitation from USFSA: If you are able to attend, the ceremony begins at 7:30 pm (central) at the First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson on 401 Darst Rd, Ferguson, MO 63135. People will begin gathering at 7:15 pm. RSVP to info@usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org or online at bit.ly/fsp19 so we know how much flan to make!

You can livestream the event on facebook.com/USFoodSovAlliance – join during the event or host a “watch party” later in the week.

This year’s Domestic Honoree is Urban Tilth. Urban Tilth was founded in 2005 with the mission of building more sustainable, just, and healthy food systems in West Contra Coast County, California. In addition to coordinating two school gardens, the organization operates five community gardens and small urban farms for growing and distributing thousands of pounds of culturally-appropriate produce each year. Guaranteeing healthy food in public schools has been a priority as well as popular education on the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables for a well-balanced diet.  

The 2019 International Honoree is Plan Pueblo a Pueblo. El Plan Socialista de Producción, Distribución, y Consumo de Alimentos Pueblo a Pueblo (The People to People Socialist Plan of Production, Distribution, and Consumption) started in 2015 with the establishment of a network to bridge rural-urban divides in Venezuela. Plan Pueblo a Pueblo purchases fruits, vegetables, tubers, legumes, basic grains, meat, eggs, and sugar from small producers. Organizers distribute the food to urban consumers at prices more affordable than products sold in conventional markets like street vendors and stores.

The Resurgence, October 11-14, 2019: Shawnee Forest, Herod, Illinois

The next day after the presentation of the USFSA Food Sovereignty Prize, there will be a caravan going to the Shwanee Forest for The Resurgence: 2019 North American Forest & Climate Movement Convergence.

According to the organizers, “This is not another conference. This is a call to action to radically transform the economic and political systems that drive climate change, forest destruction & the commodification of life.”

This convergence will provide space to:

• Build capacity to analyze, expose and confront the root causes of climate change & forest destruction
• Challenge false solutions and amplify real, community-based alternatives
• Create momentum to build and broaden strategies and tactics of resistance for effective action
• Develop concrete plans, strategies and actions to carry forward after the event

For more information about either event, contact Mary Hanson Harrison at harrison0607@msn.com

Des Moines Acts Locally on Climate Change

As we all know, climate change is happening now from India to Paris, from Greenland to Iowa! Because of the paralysis of our federal and state governments in regard to important actions we need to be taking at this time to guarantee a healthy and livable planet, we must begin to act in urgency at the local level—in our towns and cities—to promote 100% renewables, energy efficiency, and local resilience in the face of extreme weather!

Citizens in Des Moines have formed a Citizen Taskforce on Sustainability, chaired by Des Moines Branch member Carolyn Uhlenhake Walker. The group is working hard to get Des Moines and surrounding areas to adopt Climate Action Plans that reach net zero carbon emissions and resiliency in hopefully the next decade!