March 2016
An Equitable Food System
Overview
Part of a series of issue briefs dedicated to helping community leaders and policymakers bolster their campaigns and strategies with the economic case for equity.
Cultivating Camden: The City’s Food Economy Strategy
Overview
Cultivating Camden seeks to build off of Camden’s existing assets by identifying opportunities to increase food access and economic opportunities within the city. It analyzes the city’s current food system and food economy, acknowledging the challenges that residents face in accessing healthy food, while at the same time making recommendations to grow food as an economic sector; increase opportunities for food entrepreneurs; engage Camden’s institutions; and support organizations already working to increase access to healthy food, healthcare, and job opportunities.
December 2015
Transforming West Oakland
Overview
The first of a three-part series by PolicyLink and Mandela MarketPlace, this case study highlights the ongoing work of Mandela MarketPlace and its partners to build a local food system that prioritizes community ownership in the San Francisco Bay Area. This first case study provides an overview of the organization, offers a historical context of its development, and outlines critical factors that contributed to its existing infrastructure and framework of local ownership.
View the accompanying photo essay, with original photography from Mandela MartketPlace, and read this blog post by Dana Harvey, executive director at Mandela MarketPlace.
Read the second case study, Cultivating Equitable Food-Oriented Development: Lessons from West Oakland, which explores how the Mandela ecosystem has grown and evolved, and the operations, inner workings, and relationships across its tightly woven network. View the accompanying photo essay, with original photography from Mandela MartketPlace, including a photo courtesy of Michael Short Photography.
WEBINAR-Funding Your Healthy Food Project with USDA Resources
Overview
As a nation, we must foster a food system that ensures urban and rural communities have access to fresh and healthy foods; small and mid-size farmers can produce and market food in an economically and sustainable manner; and consumers have the resources they need to live healthy and productive lives.
This webinar introduces the audience to several programs at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provide examples of how USDA funding is being tapped to improve access to healthy foods and support local food system development in low-income urban communities.
Moving From Policy to Implementation: A Methodology and Lessons Learned to Determine Eligibility for Healthy Food Financing Projects
Overview
This article outlines a methodology to establish eligibility for healthy food financing programs by describing the work of The Food Trust to coadminister programs in 3 distinct regions. To determine program eligibility, qualitative assessments of community fit are needed and national data sources must be locally verified. Our findings have broad implications for programs that assess need to allocate limited public/private financing resources.
A Healthier Future for Miami-Dade County: Expanding Supermarket Access in Areas of Need
Overview
This report documents the uneven distribution of supermarket access throughout Miami-Dade County and identifies areas in greatest need of healthy food retail development.The lack of supermarket access and increased incidence of diet-relateddiseases in lower-income neighborhoods suggest the need for incentiveprograms and policies to support healthy food retail development inunderserved areas.
Understanding the Role of Community Development Finance in Improving Access to Healthy Food
Overview
Describes the role CDFIs play in financing healthy food retail and identifies how public health practitioners can partner with CDFIs to expand access to fresh, healthy food. CDFIs offer an alternative to conventional lending for financing supermarkets and other small businesses. The flexibility they provide in financing projects can help retailers offset the higher cost of opening stores in underserved areas.
Healthier Corner Stores
Overview
Corner stores—often thought of as a source of unhealthy foods—can be key partners in the effort to improve access to healthy, affordable foods. In Philadelphia alone, a network of 660 corner stores committed to healthy change has introduced 25,000 healthier products to store shelves, making it easier for families in lower-income communities to eat a healthy diet.
Stimulating Supermarket Development in Bi-State Kansas City
Overview
Too many residents of bi-state Kansas City lack sufficient access to healthy, affordable food. Despite being in the heart of one of the richest agricultural regions in the nation, bi-state Kansas City is home to many communities without supermarkets, grocery stores and other retailers of healthy food. Limited access to nutritious food is an issue in specific neighborhoods, such as Douglas Sumner in Kansas City, Kansas, and Ivanhoe and Marlborough in Kansas City, Missouri. To address these concerns, the Kansas City Grocery Access Task Force was convened by KC Healthy Kids, IFF and The Food Trust. The task force is a cohort of leaders from the grocery industry, state and local governments, as well as the community and economic development, public health and civic sectors. The task force developed nine recommendations for state and local public policies that will improve the availability of healthy, affordable food in underserved areas through the development of supermarkets and grocery stores.
WEBINAR-New Markets Tax Credit
Overview
The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program incentivizes private investment in low-income communities by permitting individual and corporate investors to receive a tax credit against their federal income tax return in exchange for making equity investments in specialized financial institutions called Community Development Entities (CDEs). The NMTC program has a proven track record in expanding access to healthy foods by encouraging private sector investment in underserved communities. This webinar serves as an introduction to a complex financing tool and explores some examples of how NMTCs are being used to finance a variety of projects designed to improve access to healthy foods.