Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food – Resources

Summer Meals: Actions Needed to Improve Participation Estimates and Address Program Challenges
Examines what is known about Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) participation, other summer programs that feed low-income children, challenges in providing rural children with summer meals, and the extent to which the USDA provides assistance. Includes maps of area eligibility and meal sites in selected states.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rural Hunger in America: Summer Meals
Describes how Summer Nutrition Programs reduce food insecurity for low-income children in rural areas and offers strategies that can help rural communities overcome barriers to participation in these programs.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Rural Hunger in America: Afterschool Meals
Fact sheet describing the benefits of Afterschool Nutrition Programs and offering suggestions for strategies to help rural communities overcome barriers to participating in these programs.
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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The Association Between Nutrition Information Use and the Healthfulness of Food Acquisitions
Results of a study examining the effectiveness of federal nutrition information and education efforts, using data from the USDA's 2012-13 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS). Features demographic statistics including percentage of FoodAPS respondents in rural areas, and the percentage of these rural respondents who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Author(s): Eliana Zeballos, Tobenna D. Anekwe
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Hunger in America: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Describes ways in which the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits rural Americans and offers suggestions to help rural communities overcome barriers to implementing SNAP. Includes a county-level map showing levels of SNAP participation in rural counties from 2012-2016.
Date: 2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Reports Database
Two searchable databases, one for peer-reviewed research reports and articles and the other for RIDGE (Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics) project summaries. Material for each database focuses on social science research centered around the challenges faced by rural areas regarding food and nutrition assistance. Allows search by title, year, topic, and data set.
Date: 2018
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Households Account for Nearly One-fifth of U.S. Food-insecure Households
Pie chart showing the proportion of food insecure households in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in 2016.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Independent Grocery Stores in the Changing Landscape of the U.S. Food Retail Industry
Examines the performance of independent U.S. grocery stores in 2015, and reports on changes in the prevalence and performance of these stores between 2005 and 2015. Highlights the important role of rural independent grocery stores as employers, tax generators, and sources of healthy and specialty foods.
Author(s): Clare Cho, Richard Volpe
Date: 11/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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The Share of SNAP Households That Live Far from a Supermarket or Large Grocery Store Varies by County
Map showing 2015 county-level data on the percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households that lived far from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store, more than 1 mile in urban areas or more than 10 miles in rural areas.
Date: 11/2017
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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SNAP Declines Continue in 2016, but Not for Rural Places
Line chart showing the percent of households that report receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance from 2007 through 2016, comparing city, rural, and suburban trends.
Author(s): Jessica A. Carson
Date: 11/2017
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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