Food Assistance and the Farm Bill Debate

Amidst the current Farm Bill debate, University of Arkansas Law professor Susan Schneider offers a reasoned assessment of who benefits from federal nutrition programs, the efficiency in which the programs are implemented, and the economic impact of spending food stamp dollars in local communities. The article is featured in the Agricultural Law Blog, the official…

USDA Report: Disability a Risk Factor for Food Insecurity

A recent issue of Amber Waves, from the USDA Economic Research Service, reports on a new study showing that disability is one of the strongest factors affecting a household's food security status. The report states that in 2009-2010 "one-third of households with a working-age adult who was unable to work due to disability were food…

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…