Does Home Food Production Correlate with Improved Food and Nutrition security? Evidence from Northern New England during the COVID–19 Pandemic
Conference Year
2023
Abstract
HFP has the potential to offer many benefits, including improved food security and diet quality. However, there is limited research on HFP practices beyond gardening, especially in high-income countries and that look at the variety of influences HFP has. We examine HFP activities during 2021-2022 and their relationships to food security status and specific diet outcomes using a variety of regression models with a statewide representative survey (n=2001) of residents of Vermont and Maine, United States. Foraging, hunting, livestock, and eggs when run in a linear regression separately are all shown to be associated with increased food insecurity for participation in these activities. We found that participation in gardening, foraging, and food preservation was positively associated with fruit, vegetable, and combined fruit and vegetable intake in all instances except fruit intake and foraging engagement. Participation in any HFP activity is associated with higher combined fruit and vegetable intake among food insecure households, but not food secure households. Participating in gardening is associated with increased combined fruit and vegetable intake among both food secure and food insecure households.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Meredith Niles
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Second Student College
Patrick Leahy Honors College
Program/Major
Nutrition and Food Sciences
Primary Research Category
Life Sciences
Does Home Food Production Correlate with Improved Food and Nutrition security? Evidence from Northern New England during the COVID–19 Pandemic
HFP has the potential to offer many benefits, including improved food security and diet quality. However, there is limited research on HFP practices beyond gardening, especially in high-income countries and that look at the variety of influences HFP has. We examine HFP activities during 2021-2022 and their relationships to food security status and specific diet outcomes using a variety of regression models with a statewide representative survey (n=2001) of residents of Vermont and Maine, United States. Foraging, hunting, livestock, and eggs when run in a linear regression separately are all shown to be associated with increased food insecurity for participation in these activities. We found that participation in gardening, foraging, and food preservation was positively associated with fruit, vegetable, and combined fruit and vegetable intake in all instances except fruit intake and foraging engagement. Participation in any HFP activity is associated with higher combined fruit and vegetable intake among food insecure households, but not food secure households. Participating in gardening is associated with increased combined fruit and vegetable intake among both food secure and food insecure households.