Year 1 of the Community Food Initiative Programme

Evaluation of year one of the Community Food Initiative Programme (2013–2015)

ISBN: 978-1-905767-49-6

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Introduction

Food poverty is a reality for many people on the island of Ireland (IOI), with approximately 10% of households in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) found to have experienced food poverty in 2010 (Carney and Maitre, 2012). Food poverty is "the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of the access to and affordability of food with related impacts on health, culture and social participation". Food poverty is a complex issue, with no single cause identifiable. It is an integral part of experiencing poverty and is linked to a variety of factors, including awareness, self-efficacy, access, affordability and availability.

This report summarises the main findings of an evaluation from the first year (April 2013 to March 2014) of a three-year safefood-funded programme, managed by Healthy Food for All, of 10 Community Food Initiatives (CFIs) based in areas of socio-economic disadvantage across the IOI. Underpinning this project is the conviction that CFIs represent a practical way in which barriers to healthy eating can be addressed at local level. The Community Food Initiative (CFI) programme follows on from an earlier Demonstration Programme of CFIs, which ran for three years, from 2010 to 2012. The aim of the CFI Programme is to promote greater access and availability of healthy and safe food in low-income areas through a programme of local projects using a community development approach.

The objectives of the CFI programme 2013-2015 are:

To fund ten community-based food projects across the IOI, over a three-year period
To provide technical support and collective training and facilitate networking
To encourage projects to consider long-term sustainability from the beginning of the programme