Food Deserts in the Breadbasket: A Rural-Urban Comparison

This research seeks to better describe and understand rural and urban food deserts. Previous research on food deserts suggests that, as a result of discriminating structural social mechanisms like redlining and neighborhood disinvestment within large metro areas in the U.S., poor and black individuals and households tend to be at a distinct advantage in terms of healthy food accessibility and availability (Miller et al. 2015). Similar trends in grocery store disinvestment have been seen in rural areas though there has been less research attention in these areas. In this paper we analyze the differences and similarities between the dynamics that determine healthy food accessibility and availability in a small urban and isolated rural context in Kansas, in Topeka (urban) and Gove, Linn, and Pottawatomie counties (rural). Data from the 2010 U.S. Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey estimates and independently collected data on food store locations are used to inform a descriptive quantitative analysis that uses GIS mapping

Food availability in rural Kansas: coping strategies for people living in low access food areas

Master of ArtsDepartment of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social WorkGerad MiddendorfIn the last 70 years, there has been a decline in population of rural Kansas. For example Gove, KS, the county seat of Gove County has seen a population decline of 355% from 284 in 1940 to 80 residents in the 2010 US Census (US Census). Along with general population decline in rural areas, is decline the overall number of farms, while the average farm size has increased (Kansas Dept. of Agriculture). The decline of the population of rural communities has caused the erosion of basic infrastructure, leaving many communities lacking access to basic services. One of the crucial components of the rural infrastructure is the rural grocery store. Since 2007, in Kansas communities with populations under 2,500 people, 82 grocery stores have closed. On average, rural Kansans now drive over 10 miles each direction to obtain their groceries. Proctor (2013) describes how the loss of a grocery store can affect a community: “Rural grocery stores are part of the economic engine that sustains rural communities," “they are a significant source of local taxes, powering the creation and maintenance of civic services and amenities. They provide essential, stable jobs – butchers, cashiers, managers, and stockers – at a time when we are desperate for employment opportunities.” The objectives of this study are to describe the food desert conditions of three rural communities in Kansas, to understand the trends regarding rural grocery stores, and to better understand the issues of access to healthy foods faced by people living in these areas