Hidden Hunger at Mizzou

Hunger on college campuses is often overlooked, but with increasing costs for tuition and housing, students often find themselves pinched. Students at the University of Missouri recently organized an event to bring the issue to light. Co-hosted by the Women's Center, Tiger Pantry (MU's campus-based food pantry), and the Environmental Leadership Office, Hidden Hunger included a…

Poverty Summit Brings Together Advocates and Experts

The 2013 Poverty Summit, sponsored by Missourians to End Poverty, took place on April 9th in Jefferson City, Missouri. The summit provided an opportunity for organizations and advocates from across the state to network, learn from one another, and develop strategies for addressing poverty in Missouri. This year's summit featured the notable Peter Edelman, author…

Center Receives Grant to Expand Work with Food Pantries

The Missouri Foundation for Health recently awarded the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security (ICFS) a five year, nearly $500,000 grant to expand nutrition related activities with food pantries in Missouri. With this grant, the Center will build upon its current Food Pantry Nutrition Project. "We are very honored to receive this grant and are excited by…

USDA Report: The Concentration of Poverty is a Growing Rural Problem

The December edition of Amber Waves highlights a concerning trend: the growth and concentration of rural poverty. While poverty grew throughout the United States as a result of the 2001 and 2007-2009 economic recessions, it grew faster in rural areas, compared to metropolitan areas.  The report notes that "in 2006-10, 26.2 percent of the Nation’s…

The City that Ended Hunger

A Yes magazine article by Frances Moore Lappé tells the story of how Brazil's fourth largest city, Belo Horizonte, tackled the issue of hunger. Using a combination of policy and market measures, along with citizen engagement, the city reached nearly 40 percent of it's 2.5 million citizens through various hunger relief and nutrition efforts and…

Community Food Systems and Food Banks

The Community Food Resource Center, part of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, stands out for their efforts to incorporate programs and projects that link people to community-based food systems.  They have active home and community gardening programs, a 2.5 acre urban farm, and farmers' markets that provide a source of fresh food to…

Center Director Featured on Straight from the Heartland

The Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security, Dr. Sandy Rikoon, was featured on Straight from the Heartland, a radio program of AgWeb, on Thanksgiving day. The report examined hunger in the U.S. and Missouri and gaps in our understanding of the extent of hunger in communities. Rikoon described how research projects of the…

Setting the Table for Food Security

The Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security recently hosted a national symposium, Food Insecurity: Assessing Disparities, Consequences, and Policies. Experts from diverse academic disciplines gathered with community activists and practitioners to assess the state of food insecurity and food justice and unpack a simple question with incredibly complex answers: where do we go from here? Mike…

Food Stamps and the 2012 Election

A  Marketplace Wealth and Poverty series takes a look at the politics of food stamps (i.e. the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP). The reports highlight perceptions about the program and the way in which some politicians are framing the debate about hunger and poverty in America. The series features two reports on food stamps…

Food Sovereignty Prize Awarded

The fourth annual Food Sovereignty Prize, awarded in New York City on October 10 by WhyHunger, honored the work of four grassroots organizations working for a more democratic food system. This year, prizes went to the Korean Women’s Peasant Association, the United Peasant Movement of Aguan Region, National Fisheries Solidarity Movement, and the Coalition of…