Doctoral Dissertation Research: Food Procurement Practices in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation research project considers the factors that contribute to food availability and procurement practices in inner city urban environments. Recent research on urban food access in geography and related fields has focused on the presence of food deserts: areas in cities where healthy variety of non-processed foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are either too expensive or difficult to obtain. These studies often measure the presence of food deserts through distance-based metrics, such as distance to the nearest supermarket, and demographic characteristics such as socio-economic status. Results have been used as the basis for initiatives at the local, state, and national levels to improve food accessibility. While the research has focused extensively on the supply of healthy foods, spatially specific data on the food consumption practices of neighborhood residents has been largely absent. This research project, based in the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, takes up this issue by focusing on the range of factors influencing food procurement practices in low-income urban neighborhoods. It utilizes a mixed-methods approach with two main components. First, it uses a GIS based analysis of disaggregated data on benefit disbursement and redemption from two federal food assistance programs, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Children, and Infants (WIC). The analysis of benefit usage from these two datasets will be compared against results of a conventional neighborhood analysis and benefit usage in areas with high numbers of program clients will be analyzed. Second, the project will conduct an in-depth study with residents in two case study neighborhoods utilizing GPS tracking, food diaries, and semi-structured interviews. This section of the project will identify specific physical, cultural, and economic constraints on residents' access to food and the role of racial/class identities, social networks, and ethical norms in shaping spatial food procurement practices. This project offers a new approach to the study of the relationship between urban residents and their neighborhood food environments by integrating rarely used data on food assistance programs into models of food accessibility. By adding this information to an analysis of how and why distance matters to neighborhood residents in their food procurement, better information will be available for policy and planning initiatives meant to facilitate easier access to healthy foods. This project also highlights the key role of individuals? social positions on their decisions about where and how to get food. Rather than assuming a largely homogenous, immobile, and passive population, as is assumed in many research projects to date, this project focuses on the heterogeneity of food procurement practices within low-income neighborhoods. In doing so, this project may suggest multiple pathways by which to improve food security in these areas, broadening the conversation about how to best define a just and fair food system and how to measure the success of proposed interventions. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.