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Understanding the Economic Concepts and Characteristics of Food Access

Call for Papers
Deadline: September 12, 2008

The National Poverty Center (NPC), in cooperation with the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will commission several papers to better understand concepts of low access to affordable and nutritious foods and how access varies across different types of areas.

Conceptualizing, measuring, and distinguishing an area with low access to affordable and nutritious foods as a food desert is not straightforward. The concept of access is related to the location and availability of different types of food stores (e.g., supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores). But it also encompasses the availability, quality, variety, and price of foods, sometimes particular foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Access is also related to community-level characteristics, for example, whether the area is amenable to walking, near public transportation or safe from crime. Special issues of access for low income participants of USDA food and nutrition assistance programs include whether benefits are accepted at food retailers, whether participants can purchase the foods their benefits allow (e.g. fresh fruits and vegetables for WIC participants), and whether food access may affect participation in the programs. Underlying the context of access to affordable and nutritious food are the choices made by both retailers, who choose to locate and operate stores in areas where they can survive and profit and consumers, who choose which foods to buy and choose to live in areas based on a variety of reasons such as the affordability of housing and access to amenities such as supermarkets.

The intent of these papers is to build on existing research to describe characteristics of the food environment and the demographic, economic, and health conditions that typify areas with low food access, particularly associated with low-income populations. Several papers covering different types of areas (rural, urban, and tribal) will be commissioned, but each will be asked to address the same general questions:

	a.	What are the concepts and measures that have been used to describe access to affordable and nutritious foods in this area? What aspects of access do these approaches capture and what aspects are not captured?
	b.	What is the food environment in this area (particularly with respect to food stores)? Given this food environment, what are the barriers in access to foods? What are the barriers to reducing the problem of low access?
	c.	What are the population and community-level characteristics of this area (e.g. race/ethnicity; household income level; unemployment rates; availability of public transportation systems; crime rates; population growth)? How do these characteristics interact with the food environment to contribute to lack of access?
	d.	What types of programs or policies have been implemented or may possibly be implemented to mitigate the effects of low access to affordable and nutritious foods? For example, community and economic development initiatives and incentives for retail food market development, including supermarkets, small grocery stores, farmers markets and transportation subsidies.

Application Instructions

If you are interested in writing and presenting a paper, please submit by September 12, 2008, four copies of a 3–4 page abstract, as well as a copy of your CV to:

National Poverty Center
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
University of Michigan
5100 Weill Hall
735 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

The abstracts will be reviewed by NPC and ERS staff, and the most promising papers will be chosen. Selected authors will be notified no later than Monday, September 22, 2008.

Funding Terms

An honorarium of $5,000 will be offered for each paper that is accepted. The payment will be made as a personal services contract to paper authors. The NPC will not contract with any university or other organization. No indirect costs will be provided. Paper authors will be given half of the honorarium when the abstract is accepted and half when the final paper is delivered early in 2009.

Authors of the papers that are selected will be expected to submit a draft paper by December 15, 2008. A roundtable meeting with all paper authors, reviewers, and NPC and ERS staff will be held in January, 2009 in Washington, DC. Final versions of papers will be due two weeks after the roundtable. The NPC will publish summaries of the papers as a National Poverty Center Policy Brief and may seek another venue for publication of the full papers. Paper authors will also be invited to attend the ERS workshop on Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Understanding Food Deserts on October 9, 2008 in Washington, DC. An informal meeting with paper authors may be held following the workshop.

Travel, lodging and meal expenses to the roundtable in early 2009 for one author per selected paper will be provided by the NPC. Travel, lodging and meal expenses to the October 9, 2008 workshop will be provided by the ERS.

Additional Funding Consideration

Because the draft papers are due on December 15, 2008, some authors may choose to synthesize research that is already near completion. However, the NPC/ERS will consider specific requests to conduct more extensive original analyses. In these cases, up to an additional $2,000 may be made available for data purchase, research assistance or other direct research costs. If you are requesting additional funds, please include a detailed budget narrative and provide a justification for each line item of additional funding.