Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Vision For A Food-Secure Future Through Permaculture, Jim Gale

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

In response to the pressing challenges of food security, sustainability, and resilience, Food Forest Abundance, led by visionary CEO Jim Gale, emerges as a beacon for permaculture-based agriculture and community development. This editorial explores the organization's pivotal role in advocating for a future where individuals, families, and communities thrive through sustainable practices and localized food systems. Central to Food Forest Abundance mission is the conviction that permaculture principles can revolutionize our approach to food security, health, and wellness by uniting agricultural and community leaders.

The catalyst for this movement was the World Farmers Market Coalition report, revealing the tangible economic, …

Effect Of Covid-19 On Food Pricing And Coping Strategies Among Households In Kakamega County Kenya, Angela Mungai

Journal of Global Awareness

Food price shocks exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to threaten food security, especially among low-income households. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of COVID-19 on food prices and the coping strategies of households in Malava and Lurambi Sub-Counties of Kakamega County, Kenya. The researchers adopted a descriptive survey design for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed using KoBo Collect and synchronized to the Open Data Kit (ODK) server and used to collect data from a sample size of 200 households. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 26 to …

Experiences Of Indigenous Women With Maternal Nutrition In Climate Change (Cold Weather) In Rural Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Implications For Maternal-Infant Health, Ihsan Ullah

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Pakistan is one of the countries that is most susceptible to the effects of climate change. The country’s Northern regions have experienced several extreme cold weather events, including floods, heavy snowfall, and heavy rains, in recent years, significantly impacting maternal and infant health. Indigenous child-bearing age women in the northern rural areas are the most vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity, disruptive food systems, increasing food prices, and disrupting food production due to climate change exacerbation.
Aim of the study: The study aimed to explore the experiences of indigenous women with maternal nutrition in harsh winter caused by climate change …

The Design And Impact Of A Clinic-Based Community Program On Food Insecurity, Healthy Eating Behaviors, And Mood, Tiffany Wesley Ardoin, Elizabeth Perry, Chelsea Morgan, Jared Hymowitz, Donald Mercante

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Food insecurity is a national issue that disproportionately impacts Louisiana citizens, contributing to the state’s poor health outcomes. We know that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and food pantries improve access to food, but we have limited data on what interventions improve food insecurity. The Geaux Get Healthy Clinical Program at Our Lady of the Lake (GGHOLOL) is a clinic-based community program that leverages community partnerships and a clinical setting to provide education and access to resources for individuals with food insecurity. This prospective study examines the impact of GGHOLOL on food insecurity as a pre-post survey evaluation over …

Seed Aid: The Importance Of Local Decision-Making, Eva Chappus

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This policy paper focuses on the disconnect between donor and recipient states regarding seed aid and the implications of seed aid on local agricultural sovereignty and sustainability; it proposes that a reevaluation of international seed aid policies is needed. International food security organizations and food aid donors should prioritize local seeds for seed aid purposes to support local biodiversity and food sovereignty, and the stability and sustainability of local agricultural systems in the long term. Making adequate and accurate assessments of situations is crucial, and sourcing locally is an integral aspect of supporting local seed systems. The fundamental problem with …

A Comparison Of Regional Food Systems And Food Security In Rural Mississippi And Italy, Reinhard Matthew Knerr

Honors Theses

Food insecurity has strong links to worsened overall health outcomes, specifically, increased prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Food insecurity in developed nations is primarily characterized by reduced access to nutritionally dense foods. This problem is especially prevalent in the Mississippi (MS) Delta region, where greater than two in five people are food insecure and community health outcomes are among the worst in the nation. Recent literature has placed emphasis on solutions to urban food insecurity, but urban resolutions cannot be fully extrapolated to rural food systems, where insecurity is characterized by a multifactorial lack …

Humanizing Hunger: Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Food And Healthcare Access In Northern New England, Malarie B. Mcgalliard

Food Systems Master's Project Reports

Rural communities have historically faced higher levels of food insecurity and lower healthcare access than their urban counterparts. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges of accessing adequate and equitable food and healthcare resources, especially in rural pockets of poverty. Maine and Vermont are the most rural states in the US with over 61% of both populations living in rural areas. Drawing from recent 2022 survey data collected by the National Food Access COVID Research Team (NFACT), this project will seek to contextualize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and healthcare accessibility in Northern New England. The …

Home Food Production Before, During And Since Start Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Northern New England, Ashleigh Angle, Ashley C. Mccarthy, Meredith T. Niles

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

This brief details the results from three separate surveys of Northern New Englanders in Maine and Vermont in summer 2020, spring 2021, and spring 2022. A survey was conducted in summer of 2020 to understand the initial and continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security, diet, and health outcomes. Two additional surveys were conducted using the same methods in spring 2021 and 2022 to continue to assess changes during the pandemic. All surveys were representative of the state populations on race and ethnicity and the data presented in this brief were weighted to be representative of income in …

The Development Of A New Scale To Measure Food Insecurity Among Older Adults Using The International Classification Of Functioning, Disability, And Health (Icf) Framework, Carol N. Freiria, Leslie Van Horn, James Epps, Jenifer M. Ross, Lauri Wright

Florida Public Health Review

Background: Older adults face different barriers to accessing adequate food, and none of the current food security scales address the unique issues that aging could present to food security among this population.

Purpose: This study aims to understand the components of nutrition functioning in relation to food insecurity among older adults to develop a food insecurity screening tool specific to the older adult population.

Methods: Cross-sectional qualitative study with semi-structured interviews. The interviews occurred via Google Voice and were simultaneously recorded using Zoom. Two researchers coded transcriptions from interview audio recordings separately, and thematic analysis based on the International Classification …

A Super-Ensemble Approach To Map Land Cover Types With High Resolution Over Data-Sparse African Savanna Landscapes, Lei Song, Anna Bond Estes, Lyndon Despard Estes

Geography

Accurate and timely land cover products are critical inputs for landscape planning, and provide key information for biodiversity conservation and food security. However, poor mapping quality and low resolution are considerable issues in existing land cover maps over the African savanna, where land use is complex and changing rapidly, and necessary ground-truth data are sparse and hard to obtain. To overcome this problem, to make optimal use of existing maps, and to minimize manual training data collection, we developed a three-stage ensemble method to make land cover maps. In the first stage, we extracted the consensus of multiple existing land …

The Impact Of Covid-19 And Associated Policy Responses On Global Food Security, Edward J. Balistreri, Felix Baquedano, John C. Beghin

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

We analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated policy responses on the global economy and food security in 80 low- and middle-income countries. We use a global economy-wide model with detailed disaggregation of agricultural and food sectors and develop a business-as-usual baseline for 2020 and 2021 called “But-for-COVID” (BfC). We then shock the model with aggregate income shocks derived from the IMF World Economic Outlook for 2020 and 2021. We impose total-factor productivity losses in key sectors as well as consumption decreases induced by social distancing. The resulting shocks in prices and incomes from the CGE model simulations …

Agricultural Extension Services And Household Food Security Of Women Rice Farmers In The Ayeyarwady Region Of Myanmar, Yi Mon Thu, Rowena Dt. Baconguis, Myra E. David, Merlyne M. Paunlagui, Pompe C. Sta. Cruz

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study aimed to analyze women's households' farming practices towards household food security, particularly in six villages of the Ayeyarwady region. Data were collected from 126 randomized respondents. Findings show that the respondents are respondents who had a mean age of 45 years, married, natives of the study sites, and have attended primary education with an average of four family members. The government is the primary agency that provides training programs, mostly in rice production. They have access to extension worker visitation in which the most common topic discussed is pest management. Less than a fourth of the respondents are …

Piaac’S Role In Global Food Security: Evidence From Machine Learning-Based Feature Selection Across Three Major Food Security Indicators, Sneha Roy, Jeffrey Zacharakis

Adult Education Research Conference

The PIAAC country dataset for 36 countries is explored to understand its role in global food security, adding to its significance in sustainable development goal four, zero hunger.

Perspectives From Frontline Organizations In The Portland Metro Region On Addressing Food Insecurity During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Megan Horst, Meg Grzybowski, Huijun Tan

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

See video of related event: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/metropolitianstudies/155/

The main goal of this project was to contribute to an understanding of how frontline-serving food security organizations in the Portland region adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies in 2020-2022 and how they addressed increased rates of food insecurity among the region’s residents. We discuss the experiences of these organizations in serving the region’s food insecure residents, the many adaptations they made in the past few years, barriers experienced, and positive and critical reflections on local government. We identify lessons learned and promising ideas for how to better prepare our region, in …

Examining Gendered Aspects Of Land Tenure Security And Smallholder Food Security During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Uganda, Michelle B. Saunders

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Smallholder agriculture is an integral part of the global food system – indeed, over 80% of the world’s farms operate on less than two hectares of land. In Uganda, these smallholder farmers grow the majority (~85%) of food produced, and thus are critical to domestic food security. However, due to external threats such as economic hardship and climate change, smallholders are also vulnerable to food insecurity themselves. As we work towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger, it is crucial that we pay particular attention to this vital population. This thesis explores two key explanatory factors that …

Urban Food Security: Examining The Unique Challenges And Opportunities Associated With Ensuring Food Security In Urban Areas, Michael Atuahene Djan

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Food security is a significant concern in urban areas (UAs). With the rapid increase in urbanization, addressing this issue has become increasingly important. Despite interventions to tackle food security issues, the world has achieved varying degrees of success in eradicating hunger, and food security in cities is critical. This study examined the unique challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring food security in urban areas. The study reviewed empirical literature and relevant reports in the last five years (2018-2023). This study identified several challenges in ensuring food security in urban regions, across the world, including rising food prices, limited water and …

Ghana Dier: An Analysis Of How Availability And Access Impact Food Security In Ghana, Aishat Doyinsola Jimoh

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines the different causes of food insecurity, the solutions for them, and how Ghana sits on the scale of global food insecurity. Ghana is located in Africa, where food insecurity is the highest in the world, so it would be reasonable to expect food insecurity to be high in Ghana, too. In comparison to its neighboring countries, Ghana has the best food security, standing at number three in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper uses data to examine how Ghana has been this successful. Foundational frameworks in Ghanaian history developed the southern urban parts of Ghana, improving food security in …

Challenges Of Nutrition In Malaysia: Poverty, Land Appropriation, And Indigeneity, Jeanie Kim

CMC Senior Theses

Malnutrition, especially in the form of wasting, stunting, and obesity, is disproportionately harming the Indigenous communities in Malaysia. Under the current legal system, Indigenous people receive little to no recognition and protection. Their land is often appropriated by the oil palm and dam industries, resulting in higher incidences of malnutrition and poverty. In order to improve the nutritional status of Malaysia as a whole, potential policies and programs include food fortification, crop diversification, and social safety nets. For the most marginalized communities, indigeneity and land restitution are analyzed as avenues to improve their livelihood.

“Anything From The Land Is Good”: Understanding How Community Gardening In Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Can Contribute To Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Michelle Malandra

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Rates of food insecurity in Canada’s northern Indigenous communities are at levels that should constitute an emergency. Dominant explanations for these high rates of food insecurity often ignore the ongoing impacts of colonization and over-emphasize individual choices and nutritional guidelines developed by outsiders. The importance of holistic community health is ignored, along with the cultural and social values and practices that support community health and well-being, including traditional food systems. As the acute impact of climate change in the North threatens traditional food access, a shift toward an Indigenous food sovereignty approach in health and food policy is needed. With …