Dimensions of food security in high poverty neighborhoods in NYC before during and after an environmental shock: The City Harvest Approach

The 2009 Declaration of the World Summit on Food Security notes that food security exists when “all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food”. City Harvest works to reduce food insecurity in NYC’s high-poverty neighborhoods through emergency food distribution and by partnering/supporting CBOs (food pantries/soup kitchens) at the local level to build capacity and change the healthy food landscape.

Method:  We use the World Food Program’s four dimensions of food security to map the food landscape in five high-poverty neighborhoods. Dimensions of food security include food: availability, access (economic/physical), utilization, and stability (vulnerability/shocks), are explored through retrospective analysis of program data and reports of activities from 2010 to 2013. Food distribution processes, partner characteristics, types and intensity of support, and timelines of activation of these activities and their outcomes, are mapped to describe the changing food environment.

Results: Between 2010 and 2013 the pounds of emergency foods distributed to local food pantries/soup kitchens and accessed by residents increased exponentially, from 28million to 39million pounds of foods distributed and 11million to16million visits by residents. During Hurricane Sandy an additional 7million pounds were distributed; and 471 to 505 agencies were served through grants and technical assistance to re/build infrastructure and personnel training.

 

Discussions: The CH model is showing promising results in increasing access to healthy food, reduce the effects of physical and economic barriers to food access, and as part of a larger citywide effort, build community capacity and resilience during/after environmental shocks.