1. Research Goals and Methods

■ Research Background and Goals

￮ In rural areas, population aging and decline, alongside weakening retail and daily living infrastructure, shrinking commercial districts, limited transportation options, reliance on private vehicles, and constraints on food delivery services, contribute to the structural deterioration of food accessibility.

￮ The dispersed settlement patterns and transportation conditions in rural areas necessitate locally tailored assessment criteria for evaluating the severity of rural food deserts.

￮ This study aims to develop a rural food desert index framework to quantitatively assess rural food deserts and guide policy responses in the Jeonbuk region.

■ Research Scope and Methods

￮ Spatial Scope: Jeonbuk’s 13 cities and counties (excluding Jeonju), with the framework applied at the eup and myeon levels.

￮ Temporal Scope: Most recent reference years for each indicator, based on administrative records, official statistics, and publicly available data (2020–2026).

￮ Research Procedure

­Identification of potential indicators and development of a preliminary index framework through literature review and expert consultation.

­Evaluation of indicator relevance and validity through two rounds of Delphi surveys

­Determination of indicator weights using AHP.

­Application of the framework to the Jeonbuk region, followed by diagnostic analysis and GIS visualization.

2. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

■ Conclusions

￮ Rural food desert risk reflects the combined effects of food supply, accessibility, socioeconomic vulnerability, and the level of institutional and service support. The Jeonbuk case study revealed regional variation, suggesting that no single indicator can adequately capture rural food desert risk.

￮ The AHP analysis identified spatial accessibility as the most important dimension, with access to public transportation emerging as the key indicator.

￮ Older single-person households were identified as a major risk factor within the socioeconomic vulnerability dimension. The Jeonbuk case study also revealed significant disparities across daily living areas at the eup and myeon levels, underscoring the need for more fine-grained and geographically targeted policy interventions and improved support systems.

■ Policy Recommendations

￮ Prioritize enhancing transportation accessibility: Focus policy interventions on daily living areas with limited public transportation accessibility to improve access to grocery stores.

￮ Adopt a dual approach to food supply: Employ both area-based measures to identify potential supply gaps and population-based measures to assess supply shortages relative to demand. This will help establish a regional typology and develop tailored policy responses.

￮ Strengthen tailored support for vulnerable groups: Target older single-person households and individuals with mobility impairments, who bear a disproportionate burden in accessing food.

￮ Enhance service coverage and monitoring: Ensure the effective delivery of institutional and service support to daily living areas, target policy efforts toward vulnerable areas, and institutionalize a rating system supported by regular monitoring.

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