Food Mapping as Community-Based Participatory Research

Abstract

Efforts to engage the public about the implications of our food system are in full swing across the fields of health promotion and prevention (Sallis, Owen, & Fisher, 2015), within schools and communities (Center for Disease Control, 2013), and at all levels of our public discourse (Milat, Bauman, & Redman, 2015). The reasons for these campaigns are well established. From food deserts (Lucan, 2015), to a health crisis involving obesity, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes (Finkelstein, Trogdon, Cohen, & Dietz, 2009); to the social, cultural, and economic impacts of industrial farming (Magdoff & Tokar, 2010;Shiva, 2005); and the negative environmental impacts (Chappell & LaValle, 2011;Robertson & Swinton, 2005). As part of Action Research's role in the food justice and environmental movements (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993), Food Mapping (FM) projects have sprung up across the world to help increase awareness of these issues and develop community -based food systems. This paper accomplishes three objectives. First, it provides an update on state of FM, including a short history, review of definitions and tool kits, and the various practitioners and organizations leading these projects. Second, using a cross case and rich picture analysis this research compares three different FM projects in Ohio, examining the kinds of organizations, mapping projects, philosophical and methodological approaches, levels of community participation, and project outcomes across Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. This evaluation of community participation, the philosophical and methodological approaches, and the project outcomes have implications for Food Centered Community Based Participatory Researchers (CBPR) and the next iteration of these endeavors. Finally, this paper suggests untapped opportunities for future FM projects. Background: Historical and Methodological FoundationsPeople have been "mapping" where to get their food since the dawn of time.Modern FM is a response to, and product of the issues mentioned above. FM is defined as the process of developing a picture of the food sources and resources in a certain area. In the early to early -mid 2000's, health advocates, planners, academic practitioners, and 2 community leaders began mapping their food habits, habitats, neighborhoods, and