IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/agrhuv/v34y2017i4d10.1007_s10460-017-9783-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The rise of food banks and the challenge of matching food assistance with potential need: towards a spatially specific, rapid assessment approach

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher M. Bacon

    (Santa Clara University)

  • Gregory A. Baker

    (Santa Clara University)

Abstract

In the United States, food banks served an estimated 46 million people in 2015. A combination of government policy reforms and political economic trends contributed to the rising numbers of individuals relying on private food assistance in the US, the United Kingdom and other high-income countries. Although researchers frequently map urban food environments, this project is one of the first to map private food assistance and potential need at the census-tract scale. We utilize Geographic Information Systems, demographic data, and food assistance locations to develop a rapid assessment tool that could support food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and government agencies that seek to answer the question of whether people with the greatest need have food distribution sites in close proximity. We define access based on distance and then calculate potential food insecurity using either poverty rates or a food insecurity index. We apply these methods in a case study analysis of Santa Clara County, California. Our findings suggest that food assistance distribution locations match the areas of potential need in more than 80% of urban census tracts. However, there are several potentially underserved locations and populations that could benefit from new food assistance operations. The poverty and index-based approaches show significant spatial overlap in mapped areas of high food insecurity and low access. The poverty only approach produces a higher estimate of food insecurity rates, is easier to calculate, and draws attention to the need to address poverty as a root cause of hunger.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher M. Bacon & Gregory A. Baker, 2017. "The rise of food banks and the challenge of matching food assistance with potential need: towards a spatially specific, rapid assessment approach," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(4), pages 899-919, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:34:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10460-017-9783-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-017-9783-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10460-017-9783-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10460-017-9783-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark LeClair & Anna-Maria Aksan, 2014. "Redefining the food desert: combining GIS with direct observation to measure food access," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(4), pages 537-547, December.
    2. Helen H. Jensen, 2002. "Food Insecurity and the Food Stamp Program," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(5), pages 1215-1228.
    3. E Talen & L Anselin, 1998. "Assessing Spatial Equity: An Evaluation of Measures of Accessibility to Public Playgrounds," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 30(4), pages 595-613, April.
    4. Charlotte Cabili & Esa Eslami & Ronette Briefel, 2013. "White Paper on the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 0ab44a5553204796a9f2f0cc6, Mathematica Policy Research.
    5. Craig Gundersen & Brent Kreider & John Pepper, 2011. "The Economics of Food Insecurity in the United States," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 33(3), pages 281-303.
    6. Craig Gundersen & Emily Engelhard & Elaine Waxman, 2014. "Map the Meal Gap: Exploring Food Insecurity at the Local Level," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 36(3), pages 373-386.
    7. Andrew Williams & Paul Cloke & Jon May & Mark Goodwin, 2016. "Contested space: The contradictory political dynamics of food banking in the UK," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(11), pages 2291-2316, November.
    8. Charlotte Cabili & Esa Eslami & Ronette Briefel, "undated". "White Paper on the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) (Summary)," Mathematica Policy Research Reports ff31e6cd120c4aefaad03936e, Mathematica Policy Research.
    9. repec:mpr:mprres:7904 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Dowler, Elizabeth A. & O’Connor, Deirdre, 2012. "Rights-based approaches to addressing food poverty and food insecurity in Ireland and UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 44-51.
    11. Pilar González-Torre & Jorge Coque, 2016. "How is a food bank managed? Different profiles in Spain," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 33(1), pages 89-100, March.
    12. Lucie Schmidt & Lara Shore-Sheppard & Tara Watson, 2016. "The Effect of Safety-Net Programs on Food Insecurity," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 51(3), pages 589-614.
    13. Lynn McIntyre & Danielle Tougas & Krista Rondeau & Catherine L. Mah, 2016. "“In”-sights about food banks from a critical interpretive synthesis of the academic literature," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 33(4), pages 843-859, December.
    14. Wilde, Parke & Llobrera, Joseph & Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2014. "Population Density, Poverty, and Food Retail Access in the United States: An Empirical Approach," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 17(A), pages 1-16, March.
    15. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2014. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2013," Economic Research Report 183589, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Blanchflower, David G., 2020. "Unhappiness and age," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 461-488.
    2. Yingru Li & Dapeng Li & Christian King, 2022. "Food Insufficiency among Job-Loss Households during the Pandemic: The Role of Food Assistance Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-14, November.
    3. Cristina Chiarella & Yulia Lamoureaux & Alda A. F. Pires & Rachel Surls & Robert Bennaton & Julia Soelen Kim & Suzanne Grady & Thais M. Ramos & Vikram Koundinya & Erin DiCaprio, 2023. "A preliminary assessment of food policy obstacles in California’s produce recovery networks," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(3), pages 1239-1258, September.
    4. Kilic, Gizem, 2021. "State-level Food Waste Policies In the U.S.: A Predictive Modelling," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 314091, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. John P. Casellas Connors & Mastura Safayet & Nathanael Rosenheim & Maria Watson, 2023. "Assessing changes in food pantry access after extreme events," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(2), pages 619-634, June.
    6. Hamel, Brian T. & Harman, Moriah, 2023. "Can government investment in food pantries decrease food insecurity?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    7. Elena Carrillo-Álvarez & Blanca Salinas-Roca & Lluís Costa-Tutusaus & Raimon Milà-Villarroel & Nithya Shankar Krishnan, 2021. "The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-57, September.
    8. Paulien Dekkinga & Hilje Horst & Thirza Andriessen, 2022. "“Too big to fail”: the resilience and entrenchment of food aid through food banks in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(3), pages 781-789, June.
    9. Emmanuel Okewu & Sanjay Misra & Jonathan Okewu & Robertas Damaševičius & Rytis Maskeliūnas, 2019. "An Intelligent Advisory System to Support Managerial Decisions for A Social Safety Net," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-14, August.
    10. Evansha Andre & Yingru Li & Dapeng Li & J. Scott Carter & Amy Donley & Boon Peng Ng, 2024. "Food Insecurity within a Public University and the Role of Food Assistance Programs Amid the Global Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, January.
    11. Sabrina Arcuri, 2019. "Food poverty, food waste and the consensus frame on charitable food redistribution in Italy," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 263-275, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wilson, Norbert L. W. & Zheng, Yuqing & Burney, Shaheer & Kaiser, Harry M., 2016. "Do Grocery Food Sales Taxes Cause Food Insecurity?," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235324, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Joshua D. Lohnes, 2021. "Regulating surplus: charity and the legal geographies of food waste enclosure," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(2), pages 351-363, June.
    3. Jun Zhang & Yanghao Wang & Steven T. Yen, 2021. "Does Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Reduce Food Insecurity among Households with Children? Evidence from the Current Population Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Moffitt, Robert A. & Ribar, David C., 2018. "Child age and gender differences in food security in a low-income U.S. inner-city population," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 23-41.
    5. Dharmasena, Senarath & Bessler, David A. & Capps, Oral, 2016. "Food environment in the United States as a complex economic system," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 163-175.
    6. Millimet, Daniel L. & McDonough, Ian K. & Fomby, Thomas B., 2015. "Financial Literacy and Food Security in Extremely Vulnerable Households," IZA Discussion Papers 9103, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Helen H. Jensen & Brent Kreider & Oleksandr Zhylyevskyy, 2019. "Investigating Treatment Effects of Participating Jointly in SNAP and WIC when the Treatment Is Validated Only for SNAP," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 124-155, July.
    8. Ian K McDonough & Daniel L Millimet, 2019. "Criminal Incarceration, Statutory Bans on Food Assistance, and Food Security in Extremely Vulnerable Households: Findings from a Partnership with the North Texas Food Bank," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 41(3), pages 351-369.
    9. Francesca Galli & Aniek Hebinck & Brídín Carroll, 2018. "Addressing food poverty in systems: governance of food assistance in three European countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(6), pages 1353-1370, December.
    10. Amy Herrington & Tamara L. Mix, 2021. "Invisible and Insecure in Rural America: Cultivating Dignity in Local Food Security Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, March.
    11. Megan M. Reynolds & Patricia A. Homan, 2023. "Income Support Policy Packages and Birth Outcomes in U.S. States: An Ecological Analysis," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-24, August.
    12. Ville Tikka, 2019. "Charitable food aid in Finland: from a social issue to an environmental solution," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 341-352, June.
    13. Patricia M. Anderson & Kristin F. Butcher & Hilary W. Hoynes & Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, 2016. "Beyond Income: What Else Predicts Very Low Food Security Among Children?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(4), pages 1078-1105, April.
    14. Otto Lenhart, 2021. "The effects of paid family leave on food insecurity—evidence from California," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 615-639, September.
    15. Aaron Yelowitz, 2017. "Local housing costs and basic household needs," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 901-923, May.
    16. Craig Gundersen & Adam Dewey & Monica Hake & Emily Engelhard & Amy S. Crumbaugh, 2017. "Food Insecurity across the Rural-Urban Divide: Are Counties in Need Being Reached by Charitable Food Assistance?," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 672(1), pages 217-237, July.
    17. Jessica E Todd & Young Jo & James Richard Boohaker, 2019. "The Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Policies on Asset Holdings," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(2), pages 305-328, June.
    18. Zhang, Jun & Yen, Steven T., 2017. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food insecurity among families with children," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 52-64.
    19. Samantha To & Courtney Coughenour & Jennifer Pharr, 2019. "The Environmental Impact and Formation of Meals from the Pilot Year of a Las Vegas Convention Food Rescue Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-10, May.
    20. Fiese, Barbara H. & Gundersen, Craig & Koester, Brenda & Jones, Blake, 2016. "Family chaos and lack of mealtime planning is associated with food insecurity in low income households," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 147-155.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:34:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s10460-017-9783-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.