Food insecurity (FI) is a significant risk factor in malnutrition which can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes. The association of FI to undernutrition can additionally lead to impaired cognitive development in children. Nearly $100 billion is spent annually on federal nutrition programs yet FI still affects 1 in 8 American households pointing to the urgent need for the further refinement of our national/regional anti-hunger models. One notable and underutilized tool is the community food security assessment (CFA) which seeks to eliminate FI at the local level by improving food access throughout the community. A major limitation in knowledge about CFAs is the dearth of empirical studies of their effectiveness. The principal aim of this dissertation research was to statistically examine secondary data on U.S. counties where CFAs have been conducted and to determine whether they helped reduce individual FI over a two-year, post-test period. Repeated measures of ANOVA across the longitudinal time frame for n=66 counties revealed the main effect of FI was not statistically significant. A majority (56.9%) of 37 counties experienced a decrease in FI over the period. Linear regression found that unemployment was a significant influence in communities that experienced decreases in individual FI at the county level during the pre-test/post-test interval (β = .387 [.067], p<.01). This dissertation found that CFAs can be more effective in areas of higher unemployment as well as geographically where FI is initially higher, however further research is clearly needed in more communities over a longer time period. Also, the study suggests that proper development and structure of state and local-level food policy councils (FPCs) may lead CFAs to find better structure, funding and best practices to become more effective. Overlays prepared with ArcGIS mapping demonstrate that, in general, CFAs are not being performed in areas of highest FI when measured at the county level. The most important take-away from the visual mapping is the dearth of studies performed in the southeastern and southwestern regions of the country where county-level FI is higher, on average, than the rest of the country. These regions coincide with much of the Southern Black Belt and areas where Hispanic or Latino populations are most prevalent suggesting that communities in these regions may be able to benefit from the intervention.

This thesis consists of a summary and four self-contained papers. Paper [I] examines whether the implementation of a social safety net programme in Ethiopia has affected the value, risk and composition of farmers‟ crop portfolios. The empirical analysis suggests that the value and risk of the crop portfolio have not been altered due to the programme. However, the programme seems to have brought about some changes in the land allocated to different crops. Paper [II] studies how a social safety net affects farmers‟ (dis)investments in productive assets. More specifically, it studies how the Productive Safety Net Programme in Ethiopia has changed livestock and tree holdings. The results indicate no significant effect on livestock holdings, but a significant increase in tree holdings. Paper [III] investigates if there is a problem of adverse selection in formal microlending in rural Bangladesh. The results indicate that farmers who only borrow formally have a shadow price of capital that is substantially higher than the average informal interest rate. This suggests that farmers that only borrow formally are perceived as poor credit risks by informal lenders. Paper [IV] explores the economic incentives surrounding the cultivation of opium poppy in Afghanistan. Specifically, it examines the impact of eradication policies when opium is used as a means of obtaining credit, and when the crops are produced in sharecropping arrangements. The results indicate that both these features are likely to affect the outcome of eradication policies.

This paper considers the contribution of urban agriculture to the local food system and the role of the city council in this system. Using an interdisciplinary mixed method approach, the study explores local stakeholders’ perspectives of these aspects in the city of Bristol, UK. The findings were viewed through the lenses of two conceptual frameworks, resilience and social justice. The results reveal that urban agriculture increases resilience through building community, maintaining a diverse food supply network, and strengthening adaptability by retaining the knowledge and skills to produce food. Urban agriculture also supports social justice, by providing access to healthy food, promoting equality and inclusion, and encouraging healthier living through education. Furthermore, the results indicate that the city council can increase resilience and support social justice in the local food system through four key interventions; their procurement policy, urban planning, assisting urban agriculture initiatives, and developing a holistic urban food policy. In conclusion, urban agriculture is regarded as more than a form of food production because local stakeholders use it to support a broad range of social objectives. Developing an urban food policy is the shared responsibility of the city council as well as private and voluntary sector actors. Resilience and social justice are advocated as normative goals of the food system, and can be used as frameworks to guide the complex process of urban food system reform.

Across the US, support is ever-growing for the local food movement. This growing trend promotes food security, supports farming families, ensures universal access to safe and healthy food products, enhances local economies, and encourages environmental and social well-being. People around the US are implementing sustainable local food systems as a means of meeting their individual community’s needs. While this movement is being popularized dramatically around the world, many cities and regions have yet to address it. This study reviews the existing literature on local food system models in an effort to answer the research question: What are the “ingredients” of a healthy local food system? The local food system of Owensboro, KY was analyzed via interviews with key players in its food system. In addition, experts in this field at the state level were also interviewed to understanding the functions of and the degree of support for local food systems in KY. Recommendations were then made for the city of Owensboro on how to further enhance its local food system into one of greater vibrancy and overall health.

The contemporary global food system is plagued by a myriad of problems. In recognition of the problematic nature of the conventional food system, practitioners and researchers have sought, throughout the past century, alternative, sustainable food production, consumption, and exchange systems. Some of the solutions proposed for these problems suggest the establishment of new institutional forms such as that of the food policy council, an organisation which, through the embodiment of a food systems perspective, proposes innovative local and regional level solutions to food systems problems. Over the past two decades numerous food policy councils (FPCs) have been created in North America and Australia. Research on FPCs still remains minimal, leaving many gaps in knowledge as to the role of these organisations concerning the ways that they can and do contribute to the sustainable development of food systems and ‘alternative food movements’. Research to date on the organisational structure of FPCs lacks consideration of organisation theory and the relatively substantial body of literature dealing with evaluation of collaborative, interagency organisations, an organisational type closely related to FPCs. There is a lack of consideration as to definition of the role of FPCs within the broader context of sustainable food systems movements and the procedures and protocol for effectiveness in achieving outcomes and fulfilling these roles. Considering the significant gaps in knowledge, this research focusses on identifying a clear definition of the mission or roles of FPCs and investigates some of the previously unexplored organisational characteristics of FPCs as a foundation for identifying what may lead to ‘best-practice’ organisational structure and process in fulfilling these roles. Since there is limited information and research to date specifically on FPCs, a qualitative and more specifically grounded theory approach was taken to provide an exploratory and reflexive research design framework. This design incorporated a continuous, interactive layering of data collection, classification, and analysis. Following a preliminary literature review, the inquiry focussed primarily on the gathering of information directly from FPCs involving several different types and sources of data. Research findings revealed several aspects of food policy council objectives that can be considered together as defining the organisational role of FPCs. This provides a basis for determining the most effective administrative structure and operations management for fulfilling this role. Findings and analysis also indicated certain components of structure and process that can lead to effectiveness in terms of capacity building and fulfilling organisational roles. A model of FPC structure is developed and presented to summarise these findings, considering those components revealed through the research as contributing most to effective FPC operation. The development of this model from a broad and diverse representative sample, indicates that such modelling of structure and process may be applicable to transferring the concept of and creating FPCs in new locations.

In recent years, food waste has received growing interest from local, national and European policymakers, international organisations, NGOs as well as academics from various disciplinary fields. Increasing concerns about food security and environmental impacts, such as resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions attributed to food waste, have intensified attention to the topic. While food waste occurs in all stages of the food supply chain, private households have been identified as key actors in food waste generation. However, the evidence on why food waste occurs remains scattered. This paper maps the still small but expanding academic territory of consumer food waste by systematically reviewing empirical studies on food waste practices as well as distilling factors that foster and impede the generation of food waste on the household level. Moreover, we briefly discuss the contributions of different social ontologies, more particularly psychology-related approaches and social practice theory. The analysis reveals food waste as a complex and multi-faceted issue that cannot be attributed to single variables; this also calls for a stronger integration of different disciplinary perspectives. Mapping the determinants of waste generation deepens the understanding of household practices and helps design food waste prevention strategies. Finally, we link the identified factors with a set of policy, business, and retailer options.

Orientador: Maria Antonia Martins Galeazzi / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-03T16:18:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Frozi_DanielaSanches_M.pdf: 3727638 bytes, checksum: cfc56c1bf3a10e9b3bff86ac20e11d8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Resumo: A segurança alimentar e nutricional é um marco dentro da política de alimentação e nutrição no Brasil, alcançando nos últimos anos espaço importante no planejamento de medidas de intervenção. O consumo alimentar é considerado como uma das metodologias indiretas usadas para diagnosticar o estado nutricional de uma população. A relação entre dieta e seus efeitos na saúde humana é importante por permitir traçar um perfil epidemiológico que explique a relação entre causa e efeito dos diferentes distúrbios alimentares decorrentes de carências ou excessos nutricionais. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a situação de segurança alimentar e nutricional das famílias no município de Campinas (SP) considerando o consumo protéico e calórico e a relação entre adequação energética e o consumo de vitamina A, ferro e cálcio, visando também examinar o contexto socioeconômico e político relacionado à época histórica do estudo. Iniciou-se a pesquisa pela revisão bibliográfica sobre o estado de bem-estar social e sobre as políticas de alimentação, com um breve histórico. Foram utilizados os dados gerados pelo Estudo Multicêntrico de Consumo Alimentar, estudo do tipo transversal, realizado em outubro de 1996. A amostra foi composta por 899 famílias com 3648 membros para verificar o consumo de energia e proteína. Para o consumo dos micronutrientes a amostra constou de 672 famílias diagnosticadas como tendo consumo adequado de energia. Para o tratamento dos dados utilizou-se análise estatística descritiva para as variáveis relacionadas à caracterização das famílias e de seu consumo alimentar. Salienta-se que, após a introdução do Plano Real, houve imediata melhora no acesso aos alimentos em decorrência do aumento da renda da população. No caso do município de Campinas, as famílias com mais de quatro membros e com renda per capita até dois salários mínimos tiveram menor consumo energético ao passo que apresentaram menor consumo protéico as famílias chefiadas por mulheres e também as chefiadas por jovens. Foi encontrada, para todos os micronutrientes estudados, alta prevalência do baixo consumo desses em relação à densidade nutricional. Políticas públicas que consideram a composição familiar parecem representar uma boa opção na definição da vulnerabilidade e insegurança alimentar e nutricional a que estão expostas as famílias. É necessário considerar ainda que o consumo adequado de energia não garante níveis seguros para o estado nutricional de uma população e que a preocupação em saciar hoje a fome de energia poderá significar amanhã um quadro crônico de carências nutricionais ao lado dos excessos energéticos / Abstract: Food and Nutritional Security is a hallmark of the Food and Nutrition policy in Brazil, and in recent years it has gained relevance in the planning of intervention measures. Food consumption is seen as one of the indirect methodologies used for the diagnosis of a population's nutritional status. The relation between diet and its effects on human health is important for designing an epidemiological profile to explain causes and effects of different eating disorders resulting from nutritional lacks or excesses. Our purpose was to evaluate the Food and Nutritional Security of families from the municipality of Campinas (SP) first, by evaluating the caloric and proteic intake, and, second, by evaluating the relation between this consumption and the consumption of micro-nutrients such as vitamin A, iron and ca1cium. We also set out to examine the social, political and economic context of the period in which the study took place. The first step in the research was a bibliographic review and the writing of a brief history of the Welfare State and Food Policies in recent Brazilian history. Also a descriptive analysis was made with the variables related to the identification of the families and their food consumption. The study was transversal and was held in October 1996, making use of data from a multi-centric study about food consumption and a sample composed of 899 families with a total of 3648 individuals in order to verify their energy and protein consumption. The sample for the consumption of micro-nutrients involved 672 families diagnosed as having adequate caloric consumption. It's important to note that after the implementation of the Real Currency Plan, there was an immediate improvement in access to food due to the population' s increased income. ln the municipality of Campinas, families with over 4 members and with more than 2 minimum wage salaries had a lower caloric consumption, whereas families supported by women and by younger individuals presented a lower level of protein consumption. We found, in relation to all the micro-nutrients under study, a high prevalence of low consumption of the nutrients in relation to the nutritional density of the diet. Public policies that consider the family composition seem to represent a better alternative for defining vulnerability to food and nutritional unsafety. It is necessary to consider that adequate energy consumption does not guarantee a safe nutritional condition, and that seeking to satisfy hunger today may lead to an accumulation of chronic nutritional deficiencies- and excess energetic intake tomorrow / Mestrado / Mestre em Alimentos e Nutrição

Campaigns against risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) caused by smoking and obesity have become increasingly common on multiple levels of government, from the local to the international. Non-governmental actors have cooperated with government bodies to make policies. By analysing the policies of the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the European Union, and the United Kingdom and United States governments, we identify how the struggles between public health advocates and commercial interests reached the global level, and how the relatively successful fight to ‘denormalize’ tobacco consumption has become a model for anti-obesity advocates. It highlights three factors important in policy change: framing the policy problem, the policymaking environment and ‘windows of opportunity’—to analyse the struggle between ‘harm regulation’ and ‘neoprohibition’ approaches to an international obesity prevention regime.

No description available.

Food policy groups (FPG) have emerged in the United States (U.S.) to create healthy, resilient and sustainable food systems. There is a lack of research about FPG in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This M.S. thesis describes a mixed-methods study that investigated the structure, issue framing, activities and priorities of diverse FPG in Virginia to develop a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system framed around three research objectives. Objective one used a scoping review to inventory and visually map the location of Virginia's FPG. Objective two administered a validated, online questionnaire to document activities related to organizational capacity, social capital, context, effectiveness, and community outcomes. Objective three used a semi-structured interview guide to explore stakeholders' views about opportunities and challenges to align diverse FPG priorities and interests. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were transcribed, hand-coded, and analyzed for emergent themes. Results found that 58% of FPG (n=32/55) are located cities around universities (i.e., Richmond, Blacksburg and Charlottesville), and fewer located in rural counties with higher health outcomes. A majority (75%, n=12/16) operated on annual budget less than $50,000. A third (37.5%, n=6/16) reported food system resilience work and 50% (n=8/16) reported sustainability work. Stakeholders (n=11) reported collaboration as a mutual interest and necessary to address systemic challenges and all interviewed FPG (n=11) reported sustainable funding as a major challenge. The results of this study may inform future policies for Virginia's FPG to support a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system at local, state and national levels. / Master of Science / Since the 1980s, food policy groups (FPG) including councils, networks and coalitions in the United States (U.S.) and other countries have emerged to address food system issues such as food insecurity, food access, diet-related chronic diseases, the environmental impacts agricultural systems, poverty and economic development in communities. In 2016, 411 FPG were active in the U.S. and Canada to create healthy, resilient and sustainable food systems. There is a lack of research about FPG in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This M.S. thesis describes a study design to investigate how the structure, issue framing, activities and priorities of diverse FPG in Virginia can develop a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system. Results found that 58% of FPG (n=32/55) are located cities around universities (i.e., Richmond, Blacksburg and Charlottesville), and fewer located in rural counties with higher health outcomes. A majority (75%, n=12/16) operated on annual budget less than $50,000. A third (37.5%, n=6/16) reported food system resilience work and 50% (n=8/16) reported sustainability work. Stakeholders (n=11) reported collaboration as a mutual interest and necessary to address systemic challenge and all interviewed FPG (n=11) reported sustainable funding as a major challenge. The results of this study may inform future policies for Virginia’s FPG to support a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system at local, state and national levels.