Project Updates and News
Study: Transportation Resilience and Food Security
August 2025
Hossain, S., and Kashem, S. (2025). Transportation Resilience and Food Security: Developing a Conceptual Framework through Literature Review, paper accepted for publication at Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems-Social Movements, Institutions and Governance. The publication has been accepted and link is coming soon.
K-State faculty studying ways to boost urban food systems in Kansas
July 2025
A group of Kansas State University faculty members is working to improve food access across urban areas in Kansas by studying how city planning and policy can contribute to more equitable, resilient food systems – particularly for vulnerable, low-income communities.
Sound Living Podcast
July 2025
A group of Kansas State University faculty members is working to improve food access across urban areas in Kansas. The 1-point-2-million-dollar project, "Development of Resilient Urban Food Systems That Ensure Food Security in the Face of Climate Change," is funded through the university’s Game-Changing Research Initiation Program. K-State assistant professor of landscape architecture and regional and community planning, Shakil Kashem, says their key research objective is how to make plans and policies that can create more equitable and resilient cities and communities in Kansas. He says what really pulled him into food system research is the idea that access to healthy and affordable food plays a big role in how healthy and strong a community is. Shakil and Maria Binte Edrish, a member of his research team and a master's student in landscape architecture and regional and community planning, discuss their research into ways local government can address gaps in healthy food access through better zoning, public transportation and support for local food networks.
A Comparison of Seven academic and Nonacademic Urban Food System Resilience Assessment Frameworks
May 2025
This study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers. This article reviews and compares seven urban and regional food system resilience assessment frameworks to evaluate their effectiveness, accessibility and applicability for both academic and non-academic users. It highlights a gap between academic research and practical community use, particularly due to inconsistent definitions, undefined metrics and burdensome data collection requirements.
Funding Awarded
July 2023
Eleni Pliakoni, Ph.D., professor of urban food production and postharvest handling and the project's principal investigator, was awarded $1.2 million for the three-year project, "Development of Resilient Urban Food Systems That Ensure Food Security in the Face of Climate Change."