The Nebraska Sandhills Food Desert: Causes, Identification, and Actions Towards a Resolution
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Community and Regional Planning Program: Student Projects and Theses Community and Regional Planning Program 5-2012 The Nebraska Sandhills Food Desert: Causes, Identification, and Actions towards a Resolution Andrew Thierolf University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/arch_crp_theses Part of the Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons Thierolf, Andrew, "The Nebraska Sandhills Food Desert: Causes, Identification, and Actions owart ds a Resolution" (2012). Community and Regional Planning Program: Student Projects and Theses. 11. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/arch_crp_theses/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Community and Regional Planning Program at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Community and Regional Planning Program: Student Projects and Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS FOOD DESERT: CAUSES, IDENTIFICATION, AND ACTIONS TOWARDS A RESOLUTION by Andrew Thierolf A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Community and Regional Planning Major: Community and Regional Planning Under the Supervision of Professor Gordon Scholz Lincoln, Nebraska May, 2012 THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS FOOD DESERT: CAUSES, IDENTIFICATION, AND ACTIONS TOWARDS A RESOLUTION Andrew Thierolf, M.C.R.P. University of Nebraska, 2012 Advisor: Gordon Scholz Declining populations over the past several decades have created issues for residents in many rural areas. A serious concern is the emergence of “food deserts,” areas where people do not have sufficient access to nutritious foods. The Sandhills region in west-central Nebraska is a prime example of an area that is subject to the food desert phenomenon. It features a low-density rural population that creates a difficult economic environment for grocery retailers. This paper looks at multiple aspects of the food desert issue in the region. It begins by reviewing literature to determine the definition of the term “food desert” and the health outcomes for residents with limited access. The origins of the Sandhills food desert are analyzed by connecting the historical and modern economic factors that have contributed to its existence. A strategy for visually analyzing the Sandhills food desert is developed, and a field survey of grocery stores is completed to measure nutritious food availability in Sandhills grocery stores. Historical and current data are then analyzed to develop a series of “warning signs” that an area is at risk for becoming a food desert. These warning signs are applied to the Sandhills region to identify at-risk areas. An inventory of federal, state, and local programs that attempt to address the food desert issue is then completed, and a comprehensive Nebraska food desert program is proposed. iii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: The Definition and Health Consequences of Food Deserts .............................. 5 2.1 - Defining and Measuring Food Deserts ................................................................... 6 2.2 – Food Environment ............................................................................................... 11 2.3 - Health Impacts ...................................................................................................... 13 2.4 - Food Access and Low Income / Elderly Populations ........................................... 15 2.5 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 3: The Evolution of the Sandhills Food Desert ................................................... 22 3.1 – Research Methods ................................................................................................ 23 3.2 – Creating a Railroad-Focused Geography ............................................................. 23 3.3 - Supply ................................................................................................................... 32 3.4 - Demand ................................................................................................................. 34 3.5 – The Interaction of Supply and Demand ............................................................... 42 3.6 – The Retail Grocery Market .................................................................................. 46 3.7 – Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 4: Identifying and Analyzing the Sandhills Food Desert .................................... 55 4.1 – Research Methods: Question 2 ............................................................................ 56 4.2 – Results and Discussion: Question 2 ..................................................................... 65 4.3 – Research Methods: Question 3 ............................................................................ 74 4.4 – Results and Discussion: Question 3 ..................................................................... 77 4.5 – Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 87 iv Chapter 5: Private Sector, Grassroots, and Public Policy Options to Address the Food Desert Issue ....................................................................................................................... 90 5.1 – Research Methods ................................................................................................ 91 5.2 – Private Sector Solutions ....................................................................................... 92 5.3 – Grassroots Solutions ............................................................................................ 97 5.4 – Federal Programs ............................................................................................... 101 5.5 – State and Local Programs .................................................................................. 111 5.6 - Recommendations to Address the Nebraska Sandhills Food Desert .................. 124 5.7 – Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 135 Chapter 6: Conclusion.................................................................................................... 136 Appendix A: Town Creation along the GI&WC Railroad ............................................ 139 Appendix B: Population Trends 1880-2010 .................................................................. 148 Appendix C: Detailed Population Trends 1990-2010 .................................................... 150 Appendix D: Population Density ................................................................................... 151 Appendix E: Pull Factor Information ............................................................................ 152 Appendix F: Grocery Field Survey Detailed Results .................................................... 154 Appendix G: Grocery Field Survey Images ................................................................... 169 v List of Figures and Tables Figure 2.1: USDA Identification of Food Deserts .............................................................10 Figure 3.1: County Creation along the GI&WC ................................................................26 Figure 3.2: Population Trends along the GI&WC .............................................................27 Figure 3.3: Spatial Distribution of Towns Established or Expanded by the Lincoln Land Company along the GI&WC .............................................................................................29 Figure 3.4: Median Household Income in Nebraska .........................................................36 Figure 3.5: Distribution of Nebraska Population by the Current Core Based Statistical Area Definition ..................................................................................................................41 Figure 3.6: A Market in Equilibrium .................................................................................43 Figure 3.7: Decrease in Supply ..........................................................................................44 Figure 3.8: Decrease in Demand ........................................................................................44 Figure 3.9: Decrease in Supply and Decrease in Demand at an Equal Magnitude ...........44 Figure 3.10: Decrease in Supply at a Greater Magnitude than Decrease in Demand ........44 Figure 3.11: Pull Factors in Nebraska................................................................................51 Figure 4.1: Sandhills Counties ...........................................................................................57 Figure 4.2: Towns Visited for Grocery Store Field Survey ...............................................64 Figure 4.3: Locations of Grocery Stores in Nebraska........................................................65 Figure 4.4: Locations of Grocery Stores in Sandhills Counties Study Area .....................65 Figure 4.5: Geographic Access Issues ...............................................................................67