Growing Support: Localism, Nonprofits, and Food Access in Post-Katrina New Orleans

<p>Problems with food insecurity, such as a lack of access to healthy and affordable food in low-income neighborhoods, has been an ongoing challenge in New Orleans. The damages inflicted by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent citywide flooding on the local food system reduced the numerical count of operational full-service supermarkets and grocery stores throughout the city. The result has been a widespread presence of food deserts and grocery gaps, particularly in low-income neighborhoods. This thesis explores the emergence of food localism practices by food advocacy professionals as a capacity-building tool for New Orleans residents to increase community food security and develop a sustainable local food economy. This paper finds although alternative agro-food networks have increased the availability of healthy and locally produced foods in New Orleans, it provide evidence demonstrating their limited capacity to regularly provide healthy or affordable food in a similar manner to grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Urban Planning and Regional Studies

Year

2012

Author dc:creator

• Tranchina, Brent

Contributors dc:contributor

• David Beriss
• Renia Ehrenfeucht
• Jeffrey Ehrenreich

• New Orleans, Food Security, Food Localism, Nonprofit Organizations, Alternative Agro-Food Networks, Local Food Economy
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Urban Studies and Planning

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1490

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-2469