from the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
|
|
JAFSCD is the world’s only community-supported journal. JAFSCD content is open access (free) thanks to the generous support of our shareholders: the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium, Library Shareholders, a growing number of Individual Shareholders, and our six JAFSCD Partners: |
|
|
Research has documented food insecurity as a major public health issue among college-aged adults across the U.S. Although studies show that the majority of students know about campus resources like food pantries, the majority of those in need do not utilize them. The aim of this study, "A sentiment and keyword analysis of college food pantry stigma among users and non-users," was to explore food pantry stigma at a large regional campus in south-central Appalachia, to inform enhanced education tactics, policies, and awareness among administrators, students, faculty, and staff surrounding the stigma related to food pantry use. It is imperative to introduce education and increase awareness of the positive effects of utilizing food pantries. This can help normalize the culture surrounding the use of food pantries and eliminate the perceived stigma across college campuses.
KEY FINDINGS - Food insecurity at Appalachian State University was found to be 43.3% of students; 30.1% of students were very low food insecure.
- Of the sample, 35.7% reported not using food pantries while identifying as food insecure.
-
Data revealed gaps between students who knew about the campus food pantries and students who were food insecure, exhibiting self-stigma.
- Perceived self-stigma, including finances and using food pantries, is indicative of one’s socioeconomic status.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH -
Increase education and awareness with the goal of reducing food pantry stigma.
- Incorporate counseling, nutrition education, longer operation hours, and variety of clearly marked locations into on-campus food pantries to increase opportunities for reach and access for food-insecure students.
-
Normalize messages about food pantries, provide locations on campus for food pantries that are easily accessible and open, and allow more resources to flow into food pantries to help destigmatize usage.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
Most food-insecure students are not visiting their campus food pantry. Find out why from a case study at a south-central Appalachian college in a new @JAFSCD article. #foodinsecurity #college #stigma #foodpantry Read for free! https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.133.025
|
Photo above: Student workers at the University of San Francisco food pantry in December 2023. Photo by Flickr user David Silver; used via CC license. |
|
|
Migrant agricultural guestworkers holding H-2A visas make up an increasing share of the farmworker population, but little is known about them because they are excluded from the National Agricultural Worker Survey. In 2022, 285 male, Spanish-speaking H-2A workers were surveyed in Ohio, making it one of the largest surveys of exclusively H-2A workers in the country. Conducted as an ethnosurvey, which combines closed survey questions and more open-ended interview sections, the project focused on documenting the demographics and work experiences of H-2A workers in the state.
In this new JAFSCD article, “Care, agency, and social reproduction in the H-2A program: A case study from Ohio,” the qualitative results of the study are shared. They reveal the multiple ways care, social reproduction, and agency are practiced within the isolated and heavily constrained context of all male agricultural labor camps.
KEY FINDINGS The community created through H-2A work supports the social and emotional well-being of the men during their time in the U.S., when they are separated from their families.
Men acquire social reproduction skills in the H-2A program, such as cooking and cleaning, that they often do not develop in their home communities. Although constrained, H-2A workers exercise agency in their lives in meaningful ways and recognizing these practices illuminates possibilities for programmatic interventions.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH Policies and outreach that support the psychosocial and practical aspects of H-2A workers’ lives create opportunities for developing connections between H-2A workers and their host communities. This approach also has potential for empowering H-2A workers during their time in the United States.
SHARE ON YOUR SOCIALS
What do 285 H-2A migrant farmworkers have to say about their lives, relationships, and communities in Ohio? One author drove 10,000 miles in 3 months to find out. @OSU #migrantworkers #guestworkers #H2A #foodjustice Read the @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.133.026
|
|
|
Photo above: Author Anisa Kline doing field research with H-2A workers in Ohio. Photo provided by Anisa Kline.
|
|
|
News from JAFSCD's Partners |
|
|
The Carolina Hunger Initiative of JAFSCD Partner University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention is supporting innovations that help schools and community organizations put food directly in the hands of North Carolinians who need it. It uses programming, applied research, and compelling communications to support policy, systems, and environmental changes that more readily connect people with the food they need.
Learn more about the Carolina Hunger Initiative's research and programming here. |
|
A project of JAFSCD Partner Center for Environmental Farming Systems, EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS) launched in 2019 to focus on expanded opportunities and capacity for food and farm businesses across western North Carolina. In 2024, a new program phase was launched in 12 regional counties and with the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. A regional supply chain assessment led by Appalachian State University provides the structure to enhance the regional food supply chain, focusing on food hubs, farmers markets, commercial kitchens, and commissaries. The assessment will inform infrastructure and training programs for stakeholders throughout the region. Learn more about this project and CEFS here.
|
|
|
JAFSCD is seeking additional partners to support our open-access publishing of evidence-based food systems research through an annual contribution. Contact Editor-in-Chief Duncan Hilchey for details!
|
|
|
This email is sent to you as a notification of the newest JAFSCD articles and other occasional JAFSCD news. |
|
JAFSCD is an open access, community-supported journal! Your library, program, or organization can become a shareholder to help keep JAFSCD's content available to all, regardless of their resources. We welcome anyone to become an individual shareholder; donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
| |
|
|
