Planting the Seeds of Security: The Influence of Agricultural Products on Food Security Levels in U.S. Counties

The United States produces, imports, and widely distributes incredible amounts of food every day. Despite the country’s abundance and availability of food, a prevalence of people with low food security levels exists. In 2015, 42.2 million U.S. citizens, including children, lived in food insecure households. The source of food insecurity is complexly rooted in the mechanics of America’s economic and food systems. Understanding that the fundamental causes of food insecurity are systemic, this study focuses on the impact of one of these potential elements: agriculture. Using economic analysis, this research explores the relationship between various agriculture products and food insecurity levels of counties in the United States. In considering the existing research on the topic, this study hypothesizes that more vegetables grown for fresh market as well as corn grown for grain in counties will have a negative relationship with food insecurity while corn grown for livestock feed will further food insecurity. This research will help to inform policy choices attempting to improve and prevent food insecurity