Commuity Food Security Assessment

Here's an activity I found while sifting through some curriculum resources. I thought it would be fun for you all to examine food security issues in your own area; also a good way to introduce the concept of Food Security. This is from the Atlanta Community Food Bank web site (hence the mention of the MARTA): http://acfb.org/projects/hunger_101/curricula/

Assess your own communities’ food security by asking these questions:

Assessing Your Community’s Food Security: Determining the level of Food Security in one’s own community is a first step toward developing a Hunger-free community. Here is a partial list of the type of questions that need to be answered:

Access to Food: Access to healthy, safe and affordable food is an essential component of Food Security. Are there supermarkets within walking distance? Does a MARTA bus stop in front of the neighborhood supermarket? What percentage of local residents must rely on public transportation to either get to the store or to carry purchases home? Do local stores have a high rate of shopping cart loss due to shoppers’ need to carry groceries home? How does this affect the price of food in the store? What is the quality and freshness of products? Do local supermarkets employ local residents? Do residents rely on mom and pop and /or convenience stores for groceries? What is the selection and price of food at these stores? Do local stores accept Food Stamps/EBT/WIC vouchers? How does the quality, variety of price of groceries compare to other food vendors in the metro area?

Hunger and Nutrition: Hunger is hard to measure. Proxies are often used instead. For example, what is the area’s median household income? What percent of children in local schools receive free or reduced price breakfast and lunch? What percent of elderly persons receive subsidized Meals on Wheels? What percentage of income do residents pay for rent? How many people receive groceries from local food pantries? Is there a local community kitchen? How many local people receive Food Stamps? WIC? What is the rate of low birth weight babies in the community? Does the community’s hospital track rates of diet-related illnesses and diseases?

Resources: Take a look at existing resources. Are there community gardens? If not, is there vacant land available to turn into garden plots? Do Senior Centers serve breakfast and lunch to their guests? Are there any food cooperatives or buying clubs? Do local grocery stores and restaurants donate nonmarketed food to Food Banks or food pantry programs? What anti-hunger organizations operate in the community? Do local schools promote the free meal program to parents and students? Is there an organization that serves as a Summer Meal site for children?

Local Agriculture: Communities need a sustainable food supply to be Food Secure over time. What is the state of local farming? Have a high percentage of farmers in the state gone out of business lately? Has there been farmland loss? What is the median age of farmers? Are young people attracted to farming/agriculture as a career? Do high schools, technical colleges and universities provide agriculture classes, majors or training? What foods are grown regionally? Do residents support local farmers?

Policies: Government policies at all levels impact a community’s Food Security. Locally, how do land use, transportation needs, community development and environmental policies act as barriers or offer opportunities to enhance a community’s Food Security? Statewide, what kind of support does the Department of Education give to school meal programs? What is the state’s policy on access to Food Stamps for young families, legal immigrants and the elderly? Nationally, how do representatives in Congress or Senators vote on issues, which affect agriculture and hunger? Do they understand the level of Food Security in their districts?

How does your community stack up? Is this surprising to you at all?