Kansas State University

Estimation of a minimum cost

diet in Kansas, US.
Optimization Techniques for Agricultural Economics
(AGEC712)

Group Members:

 Allan Rigoberto Ardon

 Jorge Augusto Fernandez
 Jose Carlo Ordóñez
 Problem Statement

Food insecurity is a complex and pressing problem that affects numerous people

worldwide, and Kansas is no exception. Despite its strong agricultural industry, many

Kansas residents continue to struggle to access nutritious and affordable food.

Justification

By addressing food insecurity in Kansas comprehensively, this research seeks to improve

the lives of Kansans and serve as a model for similar studies in other regions. To meet the

previously mentioned it will determine a minimum-cost diet (MCD) as an indicator of food

insecurity in Kansas. A linear programming technique will be used to estimate the costs,

using the average daily requirements of a reference household as constraints. Three

databases are needed: monthly food prices, nutritional composition, and average

requirements of a reference household.

Data Sources

To obtain the information required for the three database an exhaustive investigation will

be conducted in National and Regional website from the government as US Department

of Agriculture.