Between 2006 and 2009, 38 percent of the rural and small-town grocery stores in Kansas closed.
The Rural Blog expands on this fact, quoting a source that says large chain stores can present a double-dip challenge to small towns. First, the stores offer lower prices or better selection than smaller markets. Second, if a market closes or is no longer competitive, people are less likely to move to a town with limited access to certain foods.
The post goes on to describe a possible solution:
The Obama administration hopes its Healthy Food Financing Initiative will mitigate the problem. The departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services would spend $400 million a year “to bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities,” Blaney writes, though it isn’t clear yet how the money will be split between urban and rural areas.
