The Food Access in Michigan (FAIM) Project has launched its website highlighting the systemic challenges in addressing food insecurity while seeking to support regional food systems that strengthen local communities across the state. The FAIM Project is a USDA-funded study rooted in an environmental justice framework examining food access and food insecurity in Michigan. Primarily housed within the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, the multi-disciplinary research team is a collaboration across co-investigators from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Michigan-Flint, Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
One in seven people are food insecure in Michigan, while state also has a growing local food economy, with agriculture making up the second largest industry in Michigan. The goal of the FAIM project is to develop strategies for fostering vibrant, food secure communities that are rooted in principles of justice and equity for everyone along the food chain. The FAIM Project website shares current research on food insecurity and food access, the challenges facing small farmers across Michigan, a database of policies that support food access and local food economies, interactive maps and spatial analysis of the future potential for Michigan’s agricultural land, illustrations of the ways food retailers shape people’s daily experiences with food, as well as highlighting the work of FAIM Project community partners endeavoring to engage their communities in growing food through a variety of urban agriculture initiatives. The FAIM Project team hopes the website will serve as a resource for researchers, activists, and community members working to address food insecurity; for food retailers and farmers, whose daily work enriches all our lives; and for public health & emergency food assistance professionals, and truly anyone interested in working to create a more just and equitable food system across Michigan. To learn more about the FAIM Project please visit: www.faimproject.org
