Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit

 This report provides a toolkit of standardized measurement tools for assessing various aspects
of community food security. It includes a general guide to community assessment and
focused materials for examining six basic assessment components related to community food
security. These include guides for profiling general community characteristics and community
food resources as well as materials for assessing household food security, food resource
accessibility, food availability and affordability, and community food production resources.
Data collection tools include secondary data sources, focus group guides, and a food store
survey instrument. The toolkit was developed through a collaborative process that was initiated
at the community Food Security Assessment Conference sponsored by ERS in June 1999.
It is designed for use by community-based nonprofit organizations and business groups, local
government officials, private citizens, and community planners.