Community Food Security via Urban Agriculture: Understanding People, Place, Economy, and Accessibility from a Food Justice Perspective

Mahbubur Meenar,Brandon Hoover

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2012.031.013

Abstract

This paper examines the role of urban agriculture (UA) projects in relieving food insecurity in lower-income neighborhoods of post-industrial U.S. cities, using Philadelphia as a case study. Based on food justice literature and mixed-methods such as GIS, survey, field observations, and interviews, we discuss how neighborhoods, nearby residents, and the local food economy interact with UA projects. Our findings suggest that, although UA projects occupy a vital place in the fight against community food insecurity in disadvantaged inner-city neighborhoods, there are debates and concerns associated with the movement. These concerns include geographic, economic, and informational accessibility of UA projects; social exclusion in the movement; spatial mismatch between UA participants and neighborhood socioeconomic and racial profiles; distribution of fresh produce to populations under poverty and hunger; and UA's economic contributions in underprivileged neighborhoods. Finally, we outline future research directions that are significant to understanding the practice of UA.

Highlights

Community food insecurity is among the most pressing issues in many U.S inner cities
The alternative food movement, working from a food justice background, plays out as a creation of local food campaigns; a promotion of food access and hunger relief; a concern for sustainable food production and public health; a focus on economic development based in a regional food economy; and occasionally a concern for race, ethnicity, class, and gender issues associated with the power structure of food (Gottleib & Joshi, 2010)
Based on food justice and food access literature, we have identified the following components to discuss the role of urban agriculture (UA) in community food security within the context of a post-industrial city: socio-economic characterization of UA project participants; geographic, economic, and informational access to fresh and healthy food; hunger relief; social exclusion; and food production, distribution, and economic contribution

Summary

Introduction

Community food insecurity is among the most pressing issues in many U.S inner cities. City residents are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts associated with the food they eat and the proximity of where it is grown. Many researchers have studied community gardening as a social process by using qualitative methods (Teig, Amulya, Bardwell, Buchenau, Marshall, & Litt, 2009). A smaller group has used mixed-methods or a qualitative GIS approach to combine these two types of research (Corrigan, 2011; Knigge & Cope, 2006). Our broader research objective was to use the food justice literature and a mixed-methods approach to examine the relationship between UA and the urban social environment. This study examined the following questions: What are the socio-economic and racial characteristics of active UA participants, and are they consistent with the neighborhood demographics? What distribution networks exist to move food to the neediest populations? Is UA socially accessible to disadvantaged community residents? What external and internal pressures do UA project representatives have to deal with? To what extent do UA projects make an impact on the local economy?

Background

Findings and Discussions

Conclusion