Community Garden Directory

Visualizing Food Insecurity

The UWCI community garden directory map emphasizes the importance of access to fresh produce by showing the locations of community gardens and their relationship to local demographic features. Use the button to change what data to view on the map. It provides specific information on community food access and financial vulnerability indicators that contribute to hunger in central Iowa, including key markers for UWCI community garden partners. 

• Demographic Categories: The heat map includes multiple indicators, such as families below poverty level, households not receiving SNAP, households receiving SNAP, low-income population (income is 200% or under the poverty level), and people ½ mile from access to healthy food.  

• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a U.S. federal program that helps low-income people buy healthy food. Benefits are provided through EBT cards, which work like debit cards at grocery stores. The program is designed to improve access to nutritious food and reduce hunger. 

• Families below poverty level are those whose income falls below a set threshold determined by the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). This means their earnings are not sufficient to meet basic needs such as food, housing, and healthcare. These families often qualify for various forms of government assistance to help cover essential expenses. (For more information on FPL visit Poverty Guidelines | ASPE (hhs.gov))  

• Color Gradients: The map features varying shades, with darker or more intense colors indicating a higher concentration of a particular indicator choice, and lighter shades showing lower concentrations. 

Hover over the map to zoom in to your neighborhood and learn about surrounding gardens in central Iowa. This can help identify trends, clusters, or disparities within the population.