Americans have an image that comes to mind when thinking of the Midwest. The people? Sturdy, corn-fed, flannel-wearing folks. The land? Towering pines, sand dunes, and an intricate web of rivers and lakes. But the image that will come to mind for so many are the vast, rolling fields of farmland stretching as far as the eye can see. And rightly so. The region is not nicknamed the breadbasket of America for no reason. In fact, seven of the top ten agricultural-producing states in the U.S. are located in the Midwest, with Indiana ranking eighth. 

Source: US Department of Agriculture

Of the seven Midwestern states listed, their contributions alone account for 36.72 percent of the country’s total revenue for ag commodities totaling $188.6 billion, a value higher than the GDP of Kuwait. When examining how the Midwest impacts agriculture internationally, the region accounts for the 33 percent of the world’s corn and 34 percent of the world’s soybeans. 

The sheer abundance of the Midwest’s agricultural output is staggering, but it begs the question: how do these production numbers translate into the daily lives of those living in these communities, specifically when examining food insecurity? Indiana—for example—is a powerhouse of agricultural production, yet a state where food insecurity remains a persistent, and in some cases, worsening challenge.  

Indiana – A Perennial Ag Superpower  

Indiana’s agriculture sector generated $18.4 billion in revenue in 2022, a 29 percent increase from the previous year. Crop production dominated, contributing $12.03 billion, 65.5 percent of the total revenue, with corn leading at $6.43 billion and soybeans following at $4.81 billion. The state also earned top rankings in terms of crop production, coming in fifth for corn for grain, fourth for soybeans, and second for pumpkins, while leading the nation in the production of popcorn, gourds, and ducks.  

Livestock production added $6.35 billion in revenue, 34.5 percent of the total, driven by poultry and eggs at $2.89 billion, meat animals at $2.02 billion, and dairy at $1.12 billion. Indiana also ranked third in chickens, fifth in hogs, and second in eggs produced.  

Together, five key commodities accounted for 94 percent of the state’s agricultural revenue. 

Source: Indiana State Department of Agriculture
Source: United States Department of Agriculture

Collectively, Indiana stands as a significant force in the agriculture industry, achieving revenue and production that place it among the highest-valued agricultural states in the country.  

However, this strong economic performance and robust native food supply is juxtaposed with a critical issue: despite the state’s agricultural output, food insecurity remains an enduring issue for Hoosiers across the state.

Food Insecurity – A Dive into the National Landscape  

Before examining the extensive impact that food insecurity has on Hoosiers, it is critical to understand what exactly food insecurity is and what it means. Particularly, because the official terminology was changed in 2006.  According to the USDA and Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) of the National Academies, the terminology used to describe food security has evolved to better capture the nuances of food access challenges.

Food Security	High food security	No reported indications of food-access problems or limitations.
	Marginal food security	One or two reported indications—typically of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. Little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake.
Food Insecurity	Low food security	Reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake.
	Very low food security	Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.

In addition to these definitions, there are four dimensions of food insecurity— 

• Physical availability of food – Refers to the “supply side” of food security, encompassing factors such as food production levels, stock inventories, and net trade. It ensures that sufficient food is present within a given region or country. 
• Economic and physical access to food – Measures households’ ability to obtain food beyond national supply levels. It highlights the importance of incomes, expenditures, supply chains, and food prices in enabling consistent access to adequate nutrition. 
• Food utilization – Focuses on how food is consumed and processed by the body. Effective utilization depends on factors like diet diversity, food preparation practices, fair allocation within households, and proper nutrient absorption, which together determine an individual’s nutritional health. 
• Stability of the other three dimensions over time – Highlights the need for reliable access to food over time. Even if a household has enough food today, it is still considered food insecure if challenges—such as natural disasters, economic downturns, or rising food costs—jeopardize future access and threaten the household’s nutritional health.

Limited, consistent access to nutritious and affordable food creates a ripple effect of food insecurity that leads to a vicious cycle with serious consequences for those who experience it and the communities they inhabit.

Source: BMC Public Health

A conceptual framework of food insecurity and health. Source: Modified and constructed by the author using Weiser et al. (Food Insecurity and Public Health) conceptual framework.

In addition to the disastrous health effects of food insecurity on individuals, households, and communities, the impact on the economy is not one that can go understated. As noted previously, food insecurity oftentimes leads to higher rates of chronic illness, leading to a strain on the healthcare system and social safety net systems—not to mention the lack of productivity in the work force due to an increased number of sick days taken, reducing overall productivity by American workers.  

Today, in the United States, food insecurity is prevalent for 18 million households, or 47 million individuals.

A paradox of plenty—Food insecurity in Indiana’s Agricultural Powerhouse 

Despite the $7.4 billion worth of agricultural exports leaving Indiana to feed other countries, there is a glaring issue at homeⁱ. According to the Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, in 2023, one in seven Hoosiers are experiencing hunger, and one in five Hoosier children are experiencing hunger. These numbers represent 950,222 individuals and 285,070 children. The 2023 National Hunger Survey Report by Hunger Free America accentuates this fact by pegging an estimated 36 percent spike in hunger from 2021 to 2023.  

Source: Feeding America

Food insecurity doesn’t just affect select areas, either. When examining different counties in the Feeding America map, older age demographics experience issues related to hunger and food insecurity at high rates.
 
Hoosiers Aged 50-59: 14.6% 
Hoosiers Aged 60+: 9.7% 

The most troubling of these age demographics, however, is the child food insecurity rates in Indiana.  

Source: Feeding America

Food insecurity for Hoosier children was 12.9 percent in 2021, rising 5.3 percent to 18.2 percent in just one year. Much of these increases can be attributed to the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and more specifically, the expiration of Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion included in the COVID-era legislation. After these monthly CTC benefits halted, food insecurity jumped 25 percent from January 2022 to July 2022. These payments were doled out to 92 percent of the households with children in the United States, providing $3,000 per child ages 6 to 17 and up to $3,600.  

Urban and Rural Food Insecurity  

Across the state, the issue of food insecurity shows little discrimination when it comes to population density or other measures of development density, either. Rural counties have higher rates of food insecurity, but the increases are prevalent across the board.  
 
Urban counties in Indiana

County	% Food Insecurity 2021	% Food Insecurity 2022	% Increase
Marion	11.3%	14.0%	2.7%
Lake	10.8%	14.0%	3.2%
St Joseph	11.0%	14.2%	3.2%
Allen	11.0%	13.0%	2.0%
Delaware	13.6%	16.7%	3.1%

Rural counties in Indiana

County	% Food Insecurity 2021	% Food Insecurity 2022	% Increase
Vigo	13.9%	16.8%	2.9%
Cass	11.2%	15.2%	4.0%
Henry	11.9%	15.7%	3.8%
Crawford	13.5%	18.3%	4.8%
Fayette	14.6%	18.0%	3.4%

Even in wealthier, suburban counties, the issue of food insecurity has accelerated. From 2021 to 2022, in Indiana, Hamilton County’s food insecurity rate increased from 6 percent to 9.2 percent; in Boone County: 6.7 percent to 10 percent; in Hendricks County: 6.4 percent to 9.7 percent.

Food Deserts—what are they and why are they increasing?  

A critical trend that is intertwined with the dichotomy of ag production and food insecurity is the considerable increase of food deserts across Indiana.  

Oftentimes, the term “food desert” can be ambiguous, so it is important once again to examine what these terms mean. According to the US Department of Agriculture, census tracts qualify as food deserts if they meet low-income and low-access thresholds. 

Low-income – a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater, or a median family income at or below 80 percent of the statewide or metropolitan area median family income 

Low-access – at least 500 persons and/or at least 33 percent of the population lives more than 1 mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (10 miles, in the case of rural census tracts) 

So, just how much is Indiana affected by the food desert epidemic?

Indiana’s urban food deserts present a stark challenge, with one in five Indianapolis residents—over 200,000 people—living in such areas. These deserts are concentrated in the near northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast parts of the city, with the Far Eastside being particularly alarming due to a three-mile stretch without a grocery store. This data comes from Unai Miguel Andres, a data analyst at SAVI, a research unit within The Polis Center at the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. 

Transportation food deserts are labeled as areas that have limited access to public transportation that can get them to a grocery store, and this encompasses over 10,500 households in Indiana. In the same SAVI study, the data indicates that households without a vehicle are 32 percent more likely to be in a food desert.  

In Gary and East Chicago, one in four households is designated as a U.S. Department of Agriculture food desert. Within the region of Northwestern Indiana, the US Department of Agriculture designates 49 food deserts. This encompasses over 129,000 food insecure individuals and 235,472 individuals with low access to grocery stores. Muncie, Fort Wayne, and Bloomington each experience vast swaths of food deserts, particularly present in disenfranchised, high poverty neighborhoods.

Opportunities for Growth  

Confronting the issue of food insecurity in Indiana demands considerable attention. Juxtaposed with agricultural infrastructure that rivals the top food-producing regions in the world, the food insecurity vs. food production relationship presents an extraordinary opportunity to address a pressing health and human rights challenge. Today, the current reactive approach places immense pressure on organizations like Prolific partner, Shepherd Community Center, which is often stretched thin by the demand for immediate relief by those being impacted. Without proactive, strategic planning, these stopgap measures strain under the weight of the issue, leaving cavities in long-term solutions. By harnessing Indiana’s agricultural strength and engaging stakeholders like economic developers, multinational corporations, local businesses, and food supply chain leaders, the state can transition from interim solutions to lasting, sustainable change.