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Food Security in the United States: Community Food Security

Contents
 

Community food security has roots in disciplines such as community nutrition, nutrition education, public health, sustainable agriculture, and anti-hunger and community development. There is no universally accepted definition of community food security. In the broadest terms, community food security can be described as a prevention-oriented concept that supports the development and enhancement of sustainable, community-based strategies:

  • To improve access of low-income households to healthful nutritious food supplies.
  • To increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs.
  • To promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.

Policies and programs implemented under the label of community food security address a diverse range of issues, including:

  • Food availability and affordability.
  • Direct food marketing.
  • Diet-related health problems.
  • Participation in and access to Federal nutrition assistance programs.
  • Ecologically sustainable agricultural production.
  • Farmland preservation.
  • Economic viability of rural communities.
  • Economic opportunity and job security.
  • Community development and social cohesion.

Recent ERS Research

Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit—This report provides a toolkit of standardized measurement tools for assessing various aspects of community food security. The toolkit is intended as a resource for community-based nonprofit organizations and business groups, local government officials, private citizens, and community planners.Map of the most community-supported agriculture programs in 2000

Community Food Security Programs Improve Food Access—This FoodReview article discusses how community-based efforts, such as farmers markets, food cooperatives, community-supported agriculture, farm-to-school initiatives, and community gardens, complement Federal food assistance programs by increasing the quantity, quality, and affordability of food in a community.

Examples of Strategies and Activities

  • Farmers’ markets that boost incomes of small local farmers and increase consumers' access to fresh produce.
  • Community-supported agriculture programs that provide small-scale farmers with economic stability while ensuring consumer members high-quality produce, often at below retail prices.
  • Farm-to-school initiatives that help local farmers sell fresh fruits and vegetables directly to school meals programs.
  • Food stamp outreach programs that help increase the number of eligible households that participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

 

For more information, contact: Margaret Andrews

Web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov

Updated date: November 17, 2008