| The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways". One of the dominant initiatives to mitigate food insecurity in the U.S. is the Community Food Security (CFS) movement. This study examines the major mechanisms used within the CFS framework, particularly the use of three alternative food networks: community-supported agriculture, farmers' markets, and community gardens. The concept of urban food deserts is used to identify areas where individuals are most vulnerable to the experience of food insecurity. A combination of surveys, interviews, and participant observation are then used to find the relationship between these alternative food networks and food-insecure households in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Results reveal the high prevalence of food insecurity alongside a strong CFS movement and local support system. The survey responses contribute a detailed consumer perspective on farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture, and community gardens, and ways in which these programs fail to completely alleviate food security challenges. Although more healthful food has become available, the majority of it is not reaching food-insecure individuals. The CFS movement's use of food assistance and charity to reach the food-insecure community continues the marginalization of low-income individuals, and essentially keeps the movement from resolving the underlying political, economic and institutional factors causing food insecurity. |
