Why Local? Wednesday: Food Deserts

A food desert is not a farm overtaken by cacti.  Typically a food desert refers to an area that lacks access to healthy food,--be that physical, financial, or educational access.

[image source] Physically, in these areas real, healthy foods are hard to come by.  When urban sprawl began to really take effect, most supermarkets moved to the suburbs with the folks headed that direction.  Fast food and convenience stores replaced the supermarket.

Many of the food desert areas tend to be economically poor, so if healthy foods are available they cannot be afforded.   If you saw Food, Inc. you probably remember the scene with the family who was able to purchase a meal at McDonalds for far less than than buying the equivalent ingredients at the grocery store.

Education also plays a role in this.  (and this does not mean that people who live in food desert areas are not educated or are somehow mentally inferiorf.)  On NPR today, Michelle Norris finished a two-part series on American and soda in which she interviewed a community activist, Nura Green.  Ms. Green recently asked some children in her community if they had eaten a healthy breakfast that morning.  One boy raised his hand and proudly said he had "pineapple soda" for breakfast.  What he did not know, and what Ms. Green told him, is that the only thing "pineapple" in the soda was the name.

That is what I mean when I say that there is a mental or educational barrier to accessing healthy foods.  If you don't know that ingesting pineapple soda, or any other "junk/convenience" food, on a regular basis is detrimental to your health and well being, then there will be very little incentive to cross the other two barriers of physical and financial availability.

[image source] Thankfully, many people are working hard to change this.  In Louisville there is an organization called New Roots that is seeking to "meet the needs of urban communities by improving access to fresh food."  They do this through partnering with local farmers and providing CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares at affordable prices and bringing fresh foods to the supermarkets.  Kentucky's Community Farm Alliance (CFA) is working hard to meet this need not only in connection with New Roots, but with many others as well.  CFA has brought farmers markets to the areas of town considered food deserts and lobbies state government to bring about changes and get the financial backing to make these changes.  There is also a Stone Soup Community Kitchen that brings community members together one night a month to cook fresh foods that have been donated by local farms.  Individuals are also taking matters into their own hands by starting their own gardens or community gardens to help meet some of the needs.

[image source] Food deserts should not exist.  This is another manifestation of poverty that can not and should not be ignored.  I am thankful to live in a city with so many people turning their attention to this issue (I only highlighted a few).  I don't want to turn a blind eye either.  When I think about our upcoming mayoral and senate races, this is an issue I want to keep in mind with my vote.  I also want to continue to support local farmers who are in turn supporting this community rather than abandoning it.

Update: I have added this post to the Real Food Wednesday posts.  Check out some other great blog posts that have to do with various "real food" themes!