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Local farms, hospitals and universities urged to link up to reduce food insecurity and build climate resilience
Summary
At the North Texas Climate Symposium, urban‑ag advocates and academic researchers described programs—Restorative Farms, medically tailored groceries, institutional purchasing and a new city urban‑ag grant—aimed at scaling local food production, jobs and health interventions in Dallas's food‑desert neighborhoods.
Speakers at the symposium's agriculture panel urged three linked strategies to make Dallas's food system more resilient to climate stress and better for public health: scale local production, create institutional market demand, and train local workers.
Rebecca Seibert of the City of Dallas introduced the session and highlighted the city's urban agriculture plan and a new infrastructure support grant that awarded up to $10,000 per site to growers this year. Kelseyana (Kelsiana) Hollis Hansen, assistant professor at UT Southwestern, described medically tailored groceries and produce‑prescription trials that improved food security and some health outcomes in a Parkland/CB Roman clinic population, reporting 80 percent retention and measurable nutrition improvements.
Owen Lynch of Restorative Farms said local farms are already demonstrating scalable, water‑efficient growing systems and workforce development: Restorative Farms distributes produce weekly, trains formerly incarcerated employees, and partners with institutions to expand market access. Lynch and panelists called for hospitals, universities and other large purchasers to use their buying power to create reliable local markets—an idea both practical and economic, they said.
Cultural fit and school engagement: Student and audience speakers emphasized that ramping up supply is insufficient if food is not culturally appropriate. UNT student presenters urged planners to map demographic preferences to ensure community gardens, campus farms and food bank programming supply culturally preferred items. Panelists also highlighted school‑garden programs and faith‑based partnerships as important distribution and education routes.
Next steps and resources: City staff and panelists encouraged universities to partner with community growers and offered graduate‑student placements for applied projects. The city's urban agriculture GIS "community health explorer" now maps production acreage and food‑access assets for planners and funders.
Why it matters: Panelists framed local food systems as a climate‑resilient strategy that also advances public health—reducing food miles, creating jobs, and providing fresher food for communities with diet‑related disease burdens.
