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 To understand and address these challenges, the Foundation for
Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) is expanding existing
grants to Feeding America and five Tipping Points Program
awardees. The supplemental FFAR funding will quantitatively
assess how food systems, and especially emergency food system,
operate and adapt in times of stress.
Craig Gundersen, distinguished professor of agricultural and
consumer economics in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois, contributes to
the project as lead researcher on Feeding America’s Map the Meal
Gap (MMG), a database that provides detailed information on
local, regional and national food insecurity. Gundersen
developed the data collection methods and models to estimate
food insecurity rates that comprise the MMG reports.
Earlier this year, FFAR awarded Feeding America a $1 million
grant to evaluate the effectiveness of the organizations’
Regional Produce Cooperatives, which direct a greater variety of
produce to food banks at lower costs. Now, FFAR is providing
$100,000 in supplemental funding to analyze data with the goal
of increasing produce consumption and decreasing food
insecurity.
“We are grateful to FFAR for their support in utilizing our
research to better understand the effects of the pandemic on
both the local and national food system” says Tom Summerfelt, VP
of research at Feeding America. “This funding is helping Feeding
America assess the food insecurity landscape and work with
others to find solutions to hunger in their communities.”
Feeding America is assessing how food banks use various supply
chains to procure food for clients. The organization is also
analyzing data to understand the use of food banks during the
pandemic, predict how the COVID-19 will impact food systems in
the next two year, and prepare for future food system shocks.
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“FFAR was established to fill research gaps and provide access to
affordable, nutritious food. Our mission is especially crucial
during this pandemic, when more Americans are in need of food
assistance,” says FFAR Executive Director Sally Rockey. “We have a
duty to study the effects that COVID-19 is having on our nation’s
food systems and fortify them against future disasters.”
FFAR’s existing Tipping Points Grantees work with community
organizations within five US cities to understand various aspects of
the local food system, and improve health and economic outcomes
through quantitative modeling of the food system. Food system
investments in urban communities often work on isolated factors to
improve health, equity and economic development. However, food
systems are complicated networks that intersect with the
environment, housing, education, the economy and other factors.
Understanding how these factors interact informs the best use of
future investments by cities and communities to accelerate
improvements in health and economic outcomes within these
communities.
FFAR is providing a total of $482,642 in supplemental funding to
five Tipping Point grantees to examine the trade-offs associated
with policy and programming interventions in response to COVID-19.
The FFAR supplemental funding is also spurring collaboration between
Tipping Points grantees and Feeding America. The Tipping Points
grantees are using Feeding America’s data to inform the Tipping
Point models. The five grantees are Joy Casnovsky, Sustainable Food
Center Austin, Texas; Beth Feingold, University at Albany; Darcy
Freedman, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine,
Cleveland, Ohio; Steven Gray, Michigan State University; and Becca
Jablonski, Colorado State University.
[Source: Craig Gundersen,
News writer: Marianne Stein] |
