Program on the Environment

Food insecurity is an issue that affects people all over the world. In the state of Washington alone one in nine people struggle with food insecurity. If people are unable to meet their basic needs, they are more less likely to look beyond to other needs, such as health and relationships. The aim of my research was to look into the opportunities and challenges of using community building as a tool to bolster food security. Also to see what impacts local, food-oriented organizations have on the communities they serve. I looked into these during my time interning with City Fruit, a local gleaning organization, on their community engagement and harvest team. To accomplish my research, I conducted online surveys and in-person interviews of other local, food organizations and City Fruit members. I also made observations of participants at community outreach events. In my research I found that some opportunities to community building were that it created stronger, more resilient communities and it allowed for communities to better advocate for themselves. Some challenges that were presented were cultural barriers and lack of resources. Also, that community building cannot be the only tool used to solve food insecurity. Knowing the challenges to community building can help local organizations adapt so that they can have a bigger and more meaningful impact on the communities they serve. Learning to use community building as an effective tool can also lead to communities looking into other issues that present in their community.