Planting Seeds for Sustainability

Access to healthy foods is increasingly impaired by socio-economic and environmental influences. Providing a region with an adequate supply of food and access are basic tenets of a sustainable foodshed. This thesis highlights food access in Humboldt County, California by identifying and mapping local food production and food retail location resources with a geospatial lens. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, local food access and production patterns were assessed with socioeconomic data to identify regions of Humboldt County having adequate or inadequate access to fresh and healthy food. Multiple GIS methods including participatory mapping, proximity and distance measures were employed to analyze food access throughout the county. Spatial analysis of food resources allows for determination of adequate or inadequate food access and classification of any 'food deserts' in Humboldt County. This research benefits the community and the Humboldt County Food Policy Council by highlighting vulnerable neighborhoods without access to fresh and healthy food resources, while identifying sustainability initiatives to help further food-system equality.