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How to
Determine Your
Community's
Food Security
Andy Fisher
Assessing your community's food security is a crucial step toward developing
projects suited to its needs and resources. The community needs assessment
should incorporate many of the same questions used in a traditional hunger
study, but also go beyond it to encompass other food system-related issues.
This exercise can be conducted on many different levels, from a year-long
comprehensive study to a much simpler neighborhood analysis. Here is a
(partial) list of questions that you may want to ask as part of this
exercise:
Access to Food
Access to healthy and affordable food is an important component of food
security.
Are there supermarkets within walking distance? What percentage of local
residents don't have cars? Do the bus lines serve the food shopping needs of
the community? Are there high rates of shopping cart loss (a proxy for poor
access)? How is the quality and price of their food? Are culturally
appropriate foods available? Do local supermarkets employ local residents? Do
they pay livable wages? Do residents rely on mom and pop stores? How is the
selection and price at these stores? Can you get healthy foods from these
stores?
Hunger & Nutrition
Hunger is hard to measure. Proxies are often used in its stead.
What is the area's median household income and per capita income? What
percentage of income do residents spend on rent? How many people receive food
from local food pantries? Food Stamps? Free school meals? In terms of
nutrition, do local hospital records reveal rates of diet-related diseases
for local residents?
Community Resources
The inventory should also consider existing community food resources.
Are there community gardens nearby? Is there nearby land available for food
production, such as empty lots? Do community residents (such as recent
immigrants) have untapped agricultural skills? Are there nearby farmers'
markets? Buying clubs? CSAs? SHARE programs? Public Markets? How can these
resources be better utilized to meet residents' needs? What are the
organizations working on these issues that can form partnerships?
Local Agriculture
We need a sustainable food supply if our communities are to be food secure
over the long term.
Have local farmers gone out of business lately? Has there been much
farmland loss recently? What is the median age of local farmers? Can locally
grown produce be found in the community's stores? Do local farmers tend to
use sustainable practices? Is the local natural resource base, e.g. soil and
water, being used sustainably? Do residents have a solid knowledge of
seasonal and regional foods?
Policies
Government policies at all levels affect a community's food security.
On the municipal level, how do land use, transportation, community
development, and environmental policies act as barriers or present
opportunities to enhance a community's food security? What funding is
available for community food security projects, such as community development
block grants?
Action!
For more information, contact the Community Food Security Coalition, PO Box
209, Venice CA 90294, phone 310-822-5410.
Andy Fisher is the co-author of the UCLA study Seeds of Change: Strategies for
Food Security for the Inner City, a comprehensive study of the Los Angeles
food system (call CFSC for details on purchasing it), and is writing a
guidebook on assessing a community's food security (also call CFSC for
information).
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