Resources: COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY

Community food security has been defined as “a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self reliance, social justice, and democratic decision-making (Ham and Bellows, 2002).” It is both a goal and a method that embraces the full range of food chain activities – natural resources and agriculture, processing and distribution, nutrition and health, public policy – and promotes a systems approach to food problems. In its fullest expression, its method draws on a range of community food system resources, invites the participation of many individuals and sectors, and promotes solutions that reduce food insecurity and build the health and well being of the community. (Fisher, 2005).

Research | Organizations

RESEARCH

Household Food Security in the United States, 2003: USDA

Social Capital is Associated with Decreased Risk of Hunger
(Katie S. Martin, Beatrice L. Rogers, John T. Cook, Hugh M. Joseph)

Neighborhood Characteristics Associated with the Location of Food Stores and Food Service Places
(Kimberly Morland, PhD, Steve Wing, PhD, Ana Diez Roux, MD, PhD, Charles Poole, ScD)
Although the relationship between diet and disease is well established, sustainable dietary changes that would affect risk for disease have been difficult to achieve. Whereas individual factors are traditional explanations for the inability of some people to change dietary habits, little research has investigated how the physical availability of healthy foods affects individuals’ diets. This study examines the distribution of food stores and food service places by neighborhood wealth and racial segregation.

Fast food, race/ethnicity, and income: A geographic analysis

Evidence-based Strategies to Build Community Food Security
(Christine McCullum, Ellen Desjardins, Vivica I. Kraak, Patricia Ladipo, Helen Costello)

Improving the Nutritional Resource Environment for Healthy Living Through Community-based Participatory Research
(David C. Sloane, PhD, Allison L. Diamant, MD, MSHS, LaVonna B. Lewis, PhD, Antronette K. Yancey, MD, MPH, Gwendolyn Flynn, Lori Miller Nascimento, MPH, William J. McCarthy, PhD, Joyce Jones Guinyard, DC, Michael R. Cousineau, DrPH, for the REACH Coalition of the African American Building a Legacy of Health Project)

Environmental Health Disparities: A Framework Integrating Psychosocial and Environmental Concepts
(Gilbert C. Gee and Devon C. Payne-Sturges)

ORGANIZATIONS

Food Policy Councils:

Berkeley Food Policy Council
Connecticut Food Policy Council
Iowa Food Policy Council
Knoxville Food Policy Council
Michigan Food Policy Council
Oklahoma Food Policy Council
State Food Policy Council 
Toronto Food Policy Council 
Twin Cities Food Council 
Washington State University King County Extension 

Food Coalitions/Food Systems:
Hartford Food System  
Lane County Food Coalition 
Madison Food System Project   
Saskatoon Food Coalition

Resource Organizations:
Community Food Security (United Kingdom) 
Food Research & Action Center 
Food Security Learning Center  
Occidental College 
USDA Community Food Security Initiative 
W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food Systems and Rural Development
World Hunger Year 
World Watch Institute: "Home Grown" Report 

Community-Based Food Projects:
The Food Project 
Foodshare  
Growing Power Community Food Center 
New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Northeast Food System Partnership 
Sustainable Food Center