A Comparison of Regional Food Systems and Food Security in Rural Mississippi and Italy

Authors

• Reinhard M. Knerr, Harvard Medical SchoolFollow
• Athan M. Gregory, Case Western Reserve University School of MedicineFollow
• Anne Cafer, University of MississippiFollow

Abstract

In the Mississippi (MS) Delta, more than 40% of residents are food-insecure despite predominantly agricultural land use. We hypothesized that limited social networks and non-navigable food market systems constrain MS producers, limit market viability, and hinder regional food sovereignty. This ethnography compared rural Italian and Mississippian food systems through semi-structured interviews of food producers, processors, and marketers. We described differences in social networks between groups that led to differential capacities to share capital and to overcome producer and labor constraints. We also described key differences in governmental and Extension support of local food systems. Finally, we provided suggestions for addressing key findings.

Recommended Citation

Knerr, R. M., Gregory, A. M., & Cafer, A. (2026). A Comparison of Regional Food Systems and Food Security in Rural Mississippi and Italy. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 14(1), 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1592

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.