Nevada hearing on AB405 would have agriculture department help develop community gardens, target food deserts

Assemblymember Tanya Flanagan, D-Clark County, told the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources that Assembly Bill 405 would require the director of the State Department of Agriculture to establish a program to assist development of community gardens and urban farms specifically in areas identified as food deserts.

Flanagan said AB405 “is a call to action for the state” and that the bill would also allow the director to “apply for and accept gifts, donations, bequests, grants and any other sources of money” to support the program. She cited examples from around Nevada — Zion Urban Farm, Flint Street Farm, a food hub in Fallon and the Abodo project in Las Vegas — as models for how gardens and farms can provide fresh food, jobs and community benefits.

The bill’s sponsor argued that Nevada has taken steps in prior sessions — authorizing local governments to use vacant property for gardening, creating a governor’s council on food security and authorizing partial tax abatements for parcels with gardens — but lacks a state program that actively stands up resources to address food insecurity statewide. Flanagan cited a Nevada Department of Health and Human Services estimate from 2018 that “anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 Nevadans” live in food deserts and said the majority live in urban areas.

Testimony in support was broad and largely unanimous. Sheila Bray, representing the University of Nevada, Reno extension and its Master Gardener and Experiment Station programs, said the university “is just happy to come here today and support this initiative” and offered research and outreach capability. Wesley Harper, director of government affairs for the City of North Las Vegas, said the city “is in support of this bill” because the communities he serves contain food deserts. Chelsea Weininger, interim director of advocacy for 3Square Food Bank, and Shane Piccinini of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada each voiced support, citing food security and community benefits.

Nonprofit and community speakers emphasized education, youth engagement and community cohesion. Tamika Henry of the Abodo Collective said her organization’s urban farm and grocery initiatives in Las Vegas address persistent access issues in historically underserved neighborhoods. Toni Ortega, farm manager for Flint Street Farm, and Marco Rauda of Green Our Planet described school- and community-based garden programs statewide. Annalise Porter of the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District said drip irrigation to plants is “far more efficient than irrigation to grass” and offered consultation for projects concerned about water use.

Several speakers tied gardens to public-health outcomes. Tanisha Brandon, who works in health insurance, and Dr. Keisha Davis, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, told the committee they have seen links between nutrition, chronic disease and children’s behavioral and academic outcomes. Speakers from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and local volunteers described hands-on benefits — access to culturally specific herbs and vegetables, training for seniors and youth engagement.

The hearing drew participants in Carson City, Las Vegas and by phone, with many witnesses using the record to make brief, supportive statements (committee staff advised “ditto” to avoid repetition when appropriate). Committee members asked questions about water and program structure; Flanagan said she had discussed the idea with the Department of Agriculture director and with representatives from the Urban Farms Federation, who “would support this” but would need time to set up any programmatic work.

No formal committee vote on AB405 was recorded in the hearing transcript. Chair Anderson closed the hearing on AB405 and the committee moved into its scheduled work session on other bills.

AB405 would, as presented, require action by the State Department of Agriculture to establish and run a program that (1) assists community gardens and urban farms in areas designated as food deserts and (2) accepts outside funding to support that work. Supporters said the program could leverage existing extension, university research, nonprofit and local-government capacity to build a statewide network.

Supporters suggested the program could help reduce food insecurity, provide educational opportunities, improve local environmental conditions and increase neighborhood cohesion; opponents were not recorded in the hearing. The bill’s next procedural step was not recorded in the hearing transcript included in the committee record.

Ending: The hearing on AB405 concluded after two hours of testimony; the committee closed the hearing and proceeded to the work session portion of the meeting. Further actions on AB405 (committee amendments, committee vote or floor referral) were not recorded in the transcript provided.