Urban Farming Combats Food Insecurity
by Kiara Fish
During my first week as an AmeriCorps member serving Oakridge Neighborhood Services in Des Moines, I was encouraged to connect with Aaron Thormodsen, the Urban Farm Manager at Central Iowa Shelter Services (CISS)—a nonprofit organization. The CISS mission is to provide low-barrier access to housing, food, and other services. One of their programs involves growing food in a giant greenhouse right in the heart of downtown Des Moines.
When I first heard about the work Thormodsen was doing at CISS, I was surprised that more people were not talking about it. Though the program is relatively new, I frankly had no idea that Central Iowa Shelter Services was growing food at this scale. The lack of notoriety may be due in part to Thormodsen’s capacity to operate such an impressive program and amazing hydroponic growing system with unmatched humility.
Aaron Thormodsen is a transplant from Los Angeles, California, who studied plant science and urban agriculture at Cal Poly Pomona. He originally was studying mechanical engineering and it was actually through an event within this major that he first fell in love with aquaponics. At a club exhibit, he said, “I saw a sink with some rocks, a pepper plant and a fish tank” and that was it. He was hooked. Thormodsen’s passion for aquaponics would spark the most lackluster individual’s curiosity about the complex growing systems. Thormodsen ended up in Des Moines following this job opportunity at CISS. As Urban Farm Manager, he oversees all the food production programs at CISS.
The 3,600 square foot greenhouse had its ribbon cutting ceremony in November of 2022 and started producing food in January of this year. The greenhouse Aaron manages is home to a 14,000-gallon aquaponics system, a branch of hydroponic production where fish are raised in conjunction with produce for consumption. The fish are kept in large blue tanks where a pump filters out the waste, beneficial bacteria converting nitrite and ammonia to nitrate. The plants feed on these nutrients, then clean water drains to a sump where it is then recycled back to the fish.
At this time, the CISS urban farm doesn’t have fish, but there are plans to bring in a variety of seafood: shrimp, tilapia, and possibly crawfish. There are some more logistics to work out, but currently the hydroponic system provides 5,000 heads of lettuce a month. Thormodsen is also growing peppers and tomatillos. Where does all of that lettuce go? About 50-60 pounds of lettuce are given directly to the kitchen at CISS to be served in meals they provide.
More lettuce is funneled through some community partners including: Eat Greater Des Moines, Oakridge, Food Bank of Iowa, and Des Moines Area Religious Council. The organizations that purchase their produce are providing revenue to fund CISS. Thormodsen quotes CEO Melissa O’Neil, “Other non-profits do thrift stores well. We have a greenhouse.”
Since January, CISS has had additional support from businesses in Des Moines. Big Grove Brewery is one of their patrons and their newest business partner is Iowa Food Cooperative.
The greenhouse also houses Thormodsen’s job training program that helps adults experiencing houselessness renavigate work environments. Interns learn to grow food and maintain the greenhouse, enabling them to later access job opportunities. The program is tailored to meet an individual’s needs and cater to their unique lived experiences.
Beyond the greenhouse with its aquaponic system and outdoor raised beds, CISS hopes to develop a four-acre agrihood to maximize food production. The agrihood should break ground sometime within the next year. Part of this plan includes building floating raised beds and installing a wall of hops. There is a retention basin off of 15th street which will eventually house a floating community garden bed that will be completely open and accessible to the public.
The most beautiful component of Aaron Thormodsen’s work isn’t just growing food for Thormodsen. It is about transforming lives and building community through the food he is growing at Central Iowa Shelter Services. It is about fostering relationships for people navigating houselessness and growing food as a community to bring people together.
Kiara Fish is a recent Drake University graduate currently working in an AmeriCorps Food Recovery position at Oakridge Neighborhood in Des Moines, IA. She has worked as a community organizer in the political and non-profit realms with a passion for social and environmental advocacy.
Join the Iowa Writers Collaborative for our online Zoom Office Lounge event this Friday, March 31 at noon. CDT. Meet the journalists. Ask questions. Interact. It’s a lot of fun. Here’s the link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89317313142
Great to learn about such positive enterprising and effective people making the state of Iowa a better place.
This post gives me hope!