Presentation Title
Keywords
Food deserts, Food access, Policy options to promote and sustain grocery operations
Description
Grocery stores are integral to the health, economic vitality, and social vibrancy of rural communities, but they face many challenges such as competition with big box stores, high operating costs, and low community support. Advocates have begun to look for innovative ways to retain existing stores and attract new stores to rural areas. One such approach is to use local, state, and federal policy to support small-town grocery stores.
This presentation highlights policy tools that have been used across the country, such as zoning and licensing, economic development, transportation, grants, loans, and nutrition assistance programs. It highlights the pros and cons of each tool and showcase examples of areas where each tool was used successfully. The presentation will include a role-play activity to identify obstacles and strategies that may arise when advocates, grocers, and policymakers work together to use policy to bring grocery stores to rural areas.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Using Policy Tools to Support Rural Grocery Stores
Grocery stores are integral to the health, economic vitality, and social vibrancy of rural communities, but they face many challenges such as competition with big box stores, high operating costs, and low community support. Advocates have begun to look for innovative ways to retain existing stores and attract new stores to rural areas. One such approach is to use local, state, and federal policy to support small-town grocery stores.
This presentation highlights policy tools that have been used across the country, such as zoning and licensing, economic development, transportation, grants, loans, and nutrition assistance programs. It highlights the pros and cons of each tool and showcase examples of areas where each tool was used successfully. The presentation will include a role-play activity to identify obstacles and strategies that may arise when advocates, grocers, and policymakers work together to use policy to bring grocery stores to rural areas.
