Source: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR RURAL STUDIES, INC. submitted to NRP
ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING FOOD SECURITY FOR YOLO COUNTY FARMWORKERS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1004041
Grant No.
2014-33800-22333
Cumulative Award Amt.
$25,000.00
Proposal No.
2014-03240
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2014
Project End Date
Jan 31, 2016
Grant Year
2014
Program Code
[LN.B]- Community Foods Project Planning
Recipient Organization
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR RURAL STUDIES, INC.
221 G ST STE 204
DAVIS,CA 956164550
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
California Institute for Rural Studies will assess the food assistance resources in Yolo County and the level of food insecurity among Yolo County farmworkers living in a rural food desert. The project addresses the CFPCGP priorities by assessing farmworker food security and planning long-term solutions utilizing the existing network of food assistance resources in Yolo County. In 2000, the county estimated a population of 6,900 farmworkers with 26,236 farmworker related persons. We will focus our efforts on farmworker families living in rural communities and, using survey methodology, assess their level food security. We will also identify the current extent of farmworker participation in food assistance programs. We will create two food inventories: types of foods farm workers prefer to use, including current fruit and vegetable consumption, and types of food offered by the Yolo Food Bank. In this way we can determine where gaps need to be addressed to serve farmworker communities. Based on our results, we will offer guidance to food programs in Yolo County regarding both geographic location of food distribution to reach farm workers and the types of foods that are appropriate for this population. At the end of our research, we will have a clear idea of the level of food insecurity among rural farmworkers in Yolo County, a directory of food resources for the county, including a map of distribution locations and a report that includes suggestions for improving outreach to farmworkers.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
70460993080100%
Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3080 - Sociology;
Goals / Objectives
The goal is to assess the level of food insecurity among Yolo County farmworkers living in a food desert and to determine the best use of existing food assistance resources to address food insecurity in remote rural regions of the county. In a sense, our project is a "matchmaking" exercise.Our goals are to:1. Identify farmworker communities in Yolo County with low food access2. Assess food security among these farmworkers3. Identify the current level of farmworker participation in food programs like SNAP and the reasons for not participating4. Inventory the types of foods farm workers use and prefer as well as their level of fruit and vegetable consumption5. Inventory the types of food offered by Yolo Food Bank throughout the year6. Offer guidance to food programs in Yolo County regarding scheduling and geographic location of food deliveries to reach farmworkers7. Offer suggestions to food programs about farmworker food suitability
Project Methods
1. Identify farmworker communities:Prior to beginning work in the area of Yolo County identified as a food desert, researchers will interview key informants to identify the centers of farmworker population within this region. After a preliminary exercise placing these locations into a GIS database, researchers will ground truth the information and identify farmworker housing clusters outside the already identified communities.2. Survey farm workers:Within the identified communities, CIRS will administer a survey to farmworkers living in each of the population centers. Currently, these communities are assumed to be Madison, Esparto and Knights Landing. However, other clusters of housing may be identified as well. Our initial work will clarify the geography for our sampling. The survey will be taken on a convenience sample administered to workers living in migrant housing complexes, apartment buildings and in other locations where farmworkers gather socially. Our goal will be to complete 200 surveys. The survey will incorporate the Spanish-language version of the USDA Food Security Module and will include a range of issues enumerated below.a. Extent of food security among farmworkers in this regionb. Farmworker participation in supplemental food programsc. Reasons for not using supplemental food programsd. Eating habits of farmworkers i. most consumed foods ii. food preferences iii. level of fruit and vegetable consumption3. Match food resources with farmworkers in Yolo CountyInterviews with agencies and organizations that provide food services to residents in Yolo County will be conducted to identify all existing programs. These will be compiled into a directory and will include maps and schedules for delivery locations within the county, including the identified food desert.a. Identify food systems resources in Yolo Countyb. At intervals throughout the year, researchers will inventory the types of food being offered at the Yolo Food Bank. The food bank is the largest provider of food to the needy in the county.c. Researchers will plot the routes of food deliveries and meal programs using GIS. We will integrate this information with the data we obtain on food insecurity and farmworker communities to determine overlap.d. We will compare food preferences of farmworkers to foods available from the food bank to determine the most appropriate selections for farmworker communities.

Progress 09/01/14 to 01/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:We had two distinct target audiences for this work: farmworkers in Yolo County, CA, and staff of the Yolo Food Bank. Through our survy process we enlisted 114 farmworkers to participate in our survey which asked many questions about food security status but also introduced them to food assistancee programs. We interacted with staff of the Yolo Food Bank quarterly as we inventoried fruits and vegetables on hand. Changes/Problems:There were no changes to our approach. However, our data analysis took longer than expected requiring an extension to the grant period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We worked with staff of migrant health programs to administer the survey. Many of them had not done work like this before. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We are in the process of disseminating the results. We will share the report with our partners at the food bank. We will prepare a synopsis of our results for the migrant outreach centers that assisted us and for farmers in the county. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We were able to identify farmworker communities in Yolo County to some degree although there are probably many workers who are living in "hidden" locations and in places like RV parks. We did assess food security among farmworkers which is almost triple the national average. We determined the current level of farmworker participation in food assistance programs and the reasons they chose not to participate, with legal status still being one major reason and lack of understanding the system another. We inventoried the foods farmworkers both eat on a daily basis and those they prefer. We offer both suggestions to expanding services of the Yolo Food Bank to the northwest of the county and suggest ways to meet the need for specific cultural food choices for farmworkers. Although the food bank does provide many of the workers' preferences.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wadsworth,Gai, Thea Rittenhouse and Sarah Cain. Assessing and Addressing Farmworker Food Security, Yolo County 2015


Progress 09/01/15 to 01/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:We worked with farmworker health advocates and farmers to survey 114 farmworkers in Yolo County. We have now developed recommendations for improving services at the Yolo Food Bank and for providers of information on federal food assistance programs, SNAP and WIC. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Farmworker communities with low food access have been identified and their food security level has been assessed. The current level of knowledge and use of both federal and county food assistance programs has been determined. An inventory of fresh fruit and vegetable preferences has been developed along with an inventory of Yolo Food Bank availability on a seasonal basis. Guidance has been developed to make Yolo food programs more useful to farmworker communities. Food suitability suggestions have been developed with alternatives.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wadsworth,Gail, Thea Rittenhouse and Sarah Cain. 2016. Assessing and Addressing Farmworker Food Insecurity in Yolo County, CA. California Institute for Rural Studies


Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Our work to data has focused on farm workers in Yolo County. Our fist set of interviews were with female farm workers. We also worked with the Yolo Food Bank. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will be analyzing all data collected. We will provide a report on the levels of food insecurity among Yolo County farm workers, a snapshot of their food preferences and a review of the food available at the Yolo Food Bank. We will develop a set of suggestions for the food bank for improving access among farm workers as well as providing food preferences. We will examine the overlap of what is available to what is preferred as well as reviewing routes and stops the food bank uses for distribution. We will offer suggestions to food programs about how they can improve their service and how they can reach farm workers within Yolo County.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have identified farm worker communities in Yolo County We have interviewed farm workers within these communities regarding food security We are gathering data on farm worker participation in food programs like SNAP and why they may not be participating We have gathered data on food preferences among farm workers We have inventoried the fresh foods available at the Yolo Food Bank at 4 intervals throughout the year

Publications