Spatial Inequities in Addressing Hunger: A Case Study of Public and Private Food Assistance Resources in Hawai‘i

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals seek to create a sustainable future, including the second goal to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” While the world has more than enough food for everyone, inequality leads to unnecessarily high levels of hunger and food insecurity. Even in wealthy nations like the United States, more than 1 in 8 people live in food-insecure households. The United States is one of the few countries that does not uphold the right to food, leaving people to rely on a combination of weak public assistance programs and charities. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is the most expansive federal food program and food banks are the largest private food assistance provider, but both have geographic inequities and insufficiencies. This case aims to help students understand the spatial inequities in food assistance programs that hinder our ability to end hunger and provides related teaching resources to teach students to geocode and map public and private food assistance to visualize the limitations of existing food assistance programs in Hawai‘i. This case study is designed to be incorporated in an introductory GIS class or can be modified to introduce mapping in a food or environmental class. This article provides context on approaches to ending hunger, focusing on how wealthy nations need to devote resources to achieving Sustainable Development Goals within their borders.