JUST SOUTHERN FOOD: FOOD JUSTICE FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

The primary objective of this research is to promote food justice for the Mississippi Delta by investigating facts about the intersections of extreme poverty, food insecurity, and chronic illness in the Mississippi Delta. By exploring relevant literature and highlighting current initiatives, this work looks at the semantics of food justice and related terms, discusses challenges unique to the Mississippi Delta, and broadly characterizes public health models with the greatest potential for food justice advancement in this region. Pivotal to interpreting food justice not only for the Mississippi Delta or the Global South, but for any community, is a clear understanding of what these concepts are, not just as talking points in theoretical conversations, but as applied, real solutions and initiatives. The premise for this research is that understanding of food justice goals paired with the Mississippi Delta condition facilitates turning well intentioned concepts into actionable steps