Understanding UW Undergraduate Food Insecurity With An Economic Model

Abstract

University efforts to address food insecurity have increased over the past few years. The University of Wyoming has followed this national trend after a survey identified that over one third of undergraduate students are food insecure by establishing the UW Food Security Taskforce. In collaboration with multiple stakeholders across campus, the taskforce has outlined specific strategies to help alleviate food insecurity issues. To assist in these efforts, I created an economic model to understand how the underpinnings of students’ financial resources impact their potential to experience financial and food insecurity. The model provides a baseline for the taskforce to identify student populations for targeting with specific strategies and a structure for determining the costs and benefits of each strategy. The model finds that the taskforce should focus on non-need students and out-of-state students as the targeted populations for strategy implementation because they are the highest at risk. Continued work associated with the model can create specific impact reports for the proposed strategies and help to make the most effective development plans.