Food Comida Rawl 317: Nourishing and Sustaining our Indianapolis Communities

Abstract

Our research effort sought to understand the specific challenges households and food system practitioners face in navigating the Indianapolis and Marion County food system. We also explored consumer visions and practitioner solutions for improvements to the local food system to achieve greater food security and food access for all residents, at all times. We conducted mixed methods research that used focus groups, surveys, and spatial data visualization and analysis of the Indianapolis and Marion County food system. Overall, the challenges that local residents face in the food system are largely cultural and asset- based and, to a lesser degree, physical and geographic. The primary challenges identified by practitioners included: (1) limited food access and food insecurity, (2) connecting to resources, (3) policies and regulations, (4) communication, and (5) collaboration. As a result of these findings, we provide ten policy prototype recommendations that address consumer visions and practitioner solutions related to supporting food system equity, diversity, and inclusivity across local food cultures, healthy eating, food access and availability, and incorporation of the community voice, as well as creating asset-based resources for households, effective government programming, and opportunities for food system collaboration and awareness among existing collectives.