Examining Food Insecurity in Alabama
Emma Kate Buchanan is a senior at Auburn University studying Biomedical Sciences (Pre-dental).
As a native Alabamian, born and raised in the Yellowhammer State, I am no stranger to the widespread hunger that is endemic to the state I call home. This crisis is mostly an ugly truth that remains unspoken in many communities, but not unnoticed. It knows no bounds, no discrimination, and no mercy as it spreads across Alabama. I feel that we must reflect and ask ourselves how this could come about and proliferate as it has.
Our beautiful and diverse state is the 5th poorest in the nation. A whopping 15% of Alabamians live below the federal poverty line. This destitution stems from the long history of slavery and racial discrimination, the heavy reliance on agriculture, an underfunded education system, low wages with a steadily rising cost of living, and lack of access to resources and aiding infrastructure.1 This poverty is reflected by the staggering 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children facing the blight of food insecurity in Alabama.2 These families and individuals simply have an inadequate amount of money left to devote to food after other vital expenses like living costs and healthcare bills have been paid.
Moreover, Alabama’s rurality creates a vast abundance of food deserts with limited access to essential nutritional needs. This problem is amplified by the lack of public transport available in the majority of the state.3 In addition, Alabama has a puzzling habit of rejecting and inhibiting any type of federal aid that would help impoverished individuals and fight the raging hunger problem. This is most likely due to the age-old “bootstrap fallacy” and the ever-present false narrative that the impoverished are apathetic that seems so popular amongst Southern states. One such instance was just this past summer when Alabama was one of only 15 states to reject millions of dollars in federal food assistance for children.4 Lastly, Alabama is only one of 11 states that places a sales tax on grocery items. The 9% tax that consumers pay at the grocery store places a disproportionate burden on those with lower socioeconomic status and only fuels the fire we are aiming to extinguish.5
There are innumerable reasons that poverty and food insecurity rates are so high in Alabama, of which I have only listed a few notable examples. What we must understand is that most of these factors are connected in a horrifying web that ensnares its victims in a cycle of poverty. This web is constructed so well that escaping its grasp is incredibly difficult and often subjects generation after generation to needless struggle. If we desire to deconstruct it, we must understand how to unravel its threads. I don’t think there could ever be one band-aid solution to fix such a complex problem, but there are many ways in which we can work towards reducing it.
Mobile produce markets that accept SNAP benefits and travel to low income/rural areas have already been shown to put a dent in food insecurity margins in other states such as Rhode Island.6 Mobile markets would combat the lofty number food deserts and the effects of lacking an adequate public transport system. In addition, Alabama must expand food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC, which are nationally the most effective way to reduce hunger and poverty levels.7 Furthermore, as a state that is largely reliant on our agricultural industry, we need to create a sustainable agricultural network across our state to cut down on the lack of reliable and nutritious food access. The city of Birmingham has already been working towards this very goal in their area with a series of ordinances. These ordinances have aided the creation of mobile grocers/farmer’s markets and a network of community gardens.8
Thus, the ability to end poverty and food insecurity lies at least in part with us Alabamians. Our state motto is “We Dare Defend our Rights,” and those rights should include food access. It is up to us to make changes in our mindsets, in our communities, and in our government to deconstruct the web of poverty and give our neighbors a way out. We must push for change and lead the way for all to have equal access to proper food and resources. With proper and adequate nutrition, we give our neighbors the tools to overcome and for our state to flourish.
References
Flynt, J. (2007). Poverty in Alabama. Encyclopedia of Alabama. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/poverty-in-alabama/
Alabama Public Health (2024). Food access. (n.d.) https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/npa/food-access.html
Britt, B. (2024). Report: Rising food insecurity in Alabama reflects national trends. Alabama Political Reporter. https://www.alreporter.com/2024/09/11/report-rising-food-insecurity-in-alabama-reflects-national-trends/
Crain, T. (2024). Most states will offer summer EBT meal money for kids. AL. https://www.al.com/educationlab/2024/01/alabama-wont-offer-summer-ebt-meal-money-for-kids-in-2024-heres-why.html
Chapoco, R. (2024). Alabama state grocery tax likely to stay at 3%. Alabama Reflector. https://alabamareflector.com/2024/02/13/alabama-state-grocery-tax-likely-to-stay-at-3/
Lyerly, R., Rummo, P., Amin, S., Evans, W., Cohen, E. D., Lawson, E., Hallett, E., De-Oliveira, S., Rose, J., Sutten Coats, C., & Nunn, A. (2020). Effectiveness of mobile produce markets in increasing access and affordability of fruits and vegetables among low-income seniors. Public Health Nutrition, 23(17), 3226–3235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002931
Carlson, S. & Llobrera, J. (2022). SNAP is linked with improved health outcomes and lower health care costs. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-is-linked-with-improved-health-outcomes-and-lower-health-care-costs
Ryno, J. (2020). Feeding Birmingham, AL: Mapping food access, food sovereignty, & the food justice movement in Birmingham, AL. Feeding Birmingham, AL. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6104e74f0b9b4e3eb02b06f1421ff90f
