TEXT

Abstract

This paper will examine the large-scale and local economic impacts of a government- funded community gardening program targeted towards SNAP recipients in the State of New Jersey. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides governmental assistance in the purchase of food items to more than 38 million Amer- icans. Often, beneficiaries prioritize buying the least expensive food possible, in order to satisfy their dietary needs. Indeed, more than 23 million Americans live in food deserts, where there is inadequate access to fresh fruit and vegetables. SNAP pro- vides a provision that benefit recipients may use their money to purchase seeds and food producing plants. However, the reality of the situation is that many of those receiving SNAP benefits do not have sufficient economic freedom to sustain the costs of maintaining a garden and, even more problematically, do not have access to land on which to grow food. Government funded community gardens represent a unique solution to this problem; they would allow SNAP recipients to engage with gardening without having to fund the infrastructural costs themselves. The USDA states that every $1 spent on seeds and fertilizer can produce $25 of fruits and vegetables. With almost $70 billion spent on SNAP in the U.S. in 2018, the food production potential represented by this sum is enormous. Practically, this paper seeks to produce a model to identify optimal locations for community gardens in the State of New Jersey, so as to produce the most food for the most SNAP beneficiaries. We establish, through simple and concrete modeling assumptions, the economic advantageousness of such a program, along with environmental and community-level benefits. Ultimately, we aim to lay the groundwork for more complete inquiries into the practical administration of SNAP community gardens.