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Community Food Security Programs Improve Food Access

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  • Kantor, Linda Scott

Abstract

The Federal nutrition assistance safety net represents the first line of defense in boosting the food purchasing power and improving the nutritional status of lowincome households in the United States. In fiscal 2000, USDA spent an estimated $32.5 billion on food assistance programs, over half of its annual budget. Community-based initiatives, such as farmers markets and community gardens, can boost the effectiveness of USDA nutrition assistance and education programs by increasing the availability of high-quality and affordable food in a community. Such initiatives also support rural comunities by strengthening the traditional ties that exist between farmers and urban consumers. Following congressional passage of the Community Food Security Act of 1996, USDA launched the Community Food Security Initiative in February 1999. This nationwide initiative seeks to forge partnerships between USDA and local communities to build local food systems, decrease need, and improve nutrition. Community food security is a relatively new concept with roots in a variety of disciplines, including community nutrition, nutrition education, public health, sustainable agriculture, and community development. As such, community food security has no universally accepted definition. Researchers at Tufts University view community food security as an expansion of the concept of household food security, which focuses on the ability of a household to acquire enough food for an active, healthy life. Community food security focuses on the underlying social, economic, and institutional factors within a community that affect the quantity, quality, and affordability of food. Researchers at Rutgers University see community food security as a process in which community-based programs work in tandem with a strong Federal nutrition safety net and emergency food assistance programs to move people from poverty to self-sufficiency and food security (see box). This article examines a variety of community food security programs, looking at their scope, their limitations, and their successes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kantor, Linda Scott, . "Community Food Security Programs Improve Food Access," Food Review/ National Food Review, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 24(01).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersfr:266234
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.266234
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Molly Anderson & John Cook, 1999. "Community food security: Practice in need of theory?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 16(2), pages 141-150, June.
    2. repec:mpr:mprres:2615 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Kaufman, Phillip R. & MacDonald, James M. & Lutz, Steve M. & Smallwood, David M., 1997. "Do the Poor Pay More for Food? Item Selection and Price Differences Affect Low-Income Household Food Costs," Agricultural Economic Reports 34065, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cohen, Barbara, 2002. "Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit," Miscellaneous Publications 347663, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Bonanno, Alessandro & Li, Jing, 2011. "Food Access and Food Security – An Empirical Analysis," 2011 Annual Meeting, July 24-26, 2011, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 103218, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Atanasoaie George Sebastian, 2013. "Community Supported Agriculture (Csa)," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 3, pages 11-16, June.
    4. Martinez, Stephen W. & Hand, Michael S. & Da Pra, Michelle & Pollack, Susan L. & Ralston, Katherine L. & Smith, Travis A. & Vogel, Stephen J. & Clark, Shellye & Lohr, Luanne & Low, Sarah A. & Newman, , 2010. "Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues," Economic Research Report 96635, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
      • Martinez, Steve & Hand, Michael & Da Pra, Michelle & Pollack, Susan & Ralston, Katherine & Smith, Travis & Vogel, Stephen & Clarke, Shellye & Lohr, Luanne & Low, Sarah & Newman, Constance, 2010. "Local food systems: concepts, impacts, and issues," MPRA Paper 24313, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. David Conner & Benjamin King & Jane Kolodinsky & Erin Roche & Christopher Koliba & Amy Trubek, 2012. "You can know your school and feed it too: Vermont farmers’ motivations and distribution practices in direct sales to school food services," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 29(3), pages 321-332, September.
    6. Bixia Chen & Kazuna Miyagi & Tomoyuki Namihira & Daiki Kayano & Mika Aragaki & Shiori Suzuki, 2024. "What Motivates Urban Dwellers to Engage in Urban Farming?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Louisa Ewald & Kate E. LeGrand & Claire-Lorentz Ugo-Ike & Sally Honeycutt & Jennifer L. Hall & Emmanuela Gakidou & Ali H. Mokdad & Gregory A. Roth, 2025. "Validation of a Novel Method to Evaluate Community-Based Interventions That Improve Access to Fruits and Vegetables," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-16, February.
    8. John Taylor & Sarah Lovell, 2014. "Urban home food gardens in the Global North: research traditions and future directions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 285-305, June.
    9. Sinan Kordon & Patrick A. Miller & Cermetrius L. Bohannon, 2022. "Attitudes and Perceptions of Community Gardens: Making a Place for Them in Our Neighborhoods," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, October.

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