Not only this, but “the farmers profit margin dropped from 35% in the 1950 's to about 9% today.” (Mckibben, 54) This means that “to generate the same income as it did in 1950, a farm today would need to be roughly four times as large.” (Mckibben, 55) As a result of this perpetual growth and centralization, problems like “huge sewage lagoons, miserable animals, vulnerability to sabotage and food-born illness”(mckibben, 61) have become commonplace. Not only this, but “we are running out of the two basic ingredients we need to grow food on an industrial scale: oil and water.” (Mckibben, 62) The situation has become so dire that “we are now facing a near simultaneous depletion of the underground aquifers which have been responsible for the unsustainable, artificial inflation of food production.” At this point of realization, Mckibben begins indulging the reader in a large number of facts that promote a more localized form of farming as the solution to a seemingly endless number of issues. Initially the point is raised that “sustainable agriculture leads to a 93% increase in per-hectare food production.” (Mckibben, 68) The next idea raised is that, “since World War 1, it has been cheaper to use…
Aside from cost figures, relative CO2 emissions, and economist concerns, fresh well grown food seems to invigorate people and make them fell good. A common mistake in modern analyses is to ignore emotional, basic human response. For example, the institution of Communism is a theoretically utopian idea for poorer countries, but when humans are the test subjects, the intended structure falls prey to uneven distribution of power and a deprived people. Similarly, even if it was more cost effective and economically efficient to outsource food production, the cozy knowledge of where the food on your plate originated and who produced it is left to cold mystery. The afore-mentioned documentary, Food Inc, exposes many of the lies behind the appealing labels on our food products (seriously a crazy movie!). In addition to taste and piece of mind, Maiser’s web document suggests how locality promotes preserving open spaces, which are rapidly disappearing in the cities of the U.K. and America. Urbanization is a rampant force that extinguishes humanity’s valuable connections with nature. Nature calms us; everyone who has hiked or camped can vouch with uncountable reasons why this is…
The written piece from Food Justice by Robert Gottlieb and Anupama Joshi goes over the issues surrounding access to fresh food, communities of color, dominance of corporations and defines key environmental terms. It is overwhelming to acknowledge the seriousness and desperation that is displayed in the writing of this book. One aspect of the reading that stood out to me is the defining of terms such as food desert and how this term describes the realities of the living conditions of communities of color and my community in particular. The lack of access to fresh food, full-service markets and the congestion of communities of color with fast food chains and liquor stores are information that I am recently being exposed to and knowledgeable about;…
She highlights the relationship between food waste and hunger, pointing out how solutions regarding hunger should further involve the idea of seeking a way to re-distribute food to those in poverty. This relationship is also pinpointed by Janet Fitchen in “Hunger, Malnutrition, and Poverty in the Contemporary United States” where she argues the significance of hunger as a national problem in the United States, as it appears almost invisible to the public. Fitchen addresses the ongoing challenges of hunger, highlighting how poverty aggravates food insecurity and malnutrition among low-income families. She examines how dominant cultural norms regarding dietary choices influence the purchasing decisions of poor households, worsening their current living circumstances and amplifying the public’s stereotypes about…
homeless or jobless and question themselves on how they will gain their next meal. The regulations and food examination that the USDA and FDA implement are to secure the quality of food products and that they pass the law requirements. Although this results in great irony, due to the fact that the government is focused in creating healthy and nutritious food products concerned about the health of the consumer, that they forget to distribute quality food to those who can’t afford it. For example, public schools have low funds and tend to have contracts with companies that sell sugary beverages and starchy artificial snacks, they usually have pouring right contracts. This results harmful in children’s health, over the years they develop obesity,…
Food deserts are defined as areas which have little to no access to traditional supermarkets with a wide variety of fresh and nutritious foods. (In my opinion this is a little odd beginning. Starting a paper with a definition doesn’t draw the reader in.) Frequently, the deserts exist in outlying (but urban) areas which have a high population of low-income and elderly residents, many of whom are without regular public transit. Due to the lack of nutritious food options, and the…
A food desert is an area where low income residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Englewood has just recently built a Whole Food’s market on 63rd street. Whole Foods ;however, is one of the most expensive wholesale food markets in America. They charge higher than any other store because of its fresh produce, but if they would look at the area do they believe that was the best place to build it. Englewood is one of the most impoverished areas in Chicago: homeless living on every corner, foreclosed homes, and low income is a norm.…
Chicago is number three among the largest cities in the United States of America having an estimated population of 2.7 million individuals. According to the community survey conducted in 2007 by the US. Census Bureau found that the racial makeup of the city as 42% white, 36.8% and 4.4 percent Asian. The research showed that 26 percent of the populace is was Hispanic of any race. A food desert refers to a large geographical area without grocery stores, but if there is, it is located several miles from the residential areas (Shannon & Jerry, 255). People living in the food desert areas have to travel a long distance to reach the fast food restaurant. This paper will discuss food deserts in Chicago from the view of how food deserts have influenced…
Food deserts are reported as geographic low-income areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options is nonexistent and inaccessible due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance. In other words, a food desert is a location where supermarkets, healthy foods, and fresh produce is not available for the people who live in low-income locations. There are many American residents who are affected by this crisis today. According to a report developed by DoSomething.org, “About 23.5 million people live in food deserts. Nearly half of them are also low-income. [Also,] Approximately 2.3 million people (2.2% of all US households) live in low-income, rural areas that are more than 10 miles from a supermarket.”…
We deducted that common cause of food insecurity include but not limited to natural disaster, poverty, low agricultural output, disease epidemic or pandemic. I viewed my topic as important because as the human population increases so does the demand for food products. There exists an increasing competition for land use, water use and energy use in Weinland Park and Delaware region in the state of Ohio. Food insecurity comes when certain group of individuals lack the financial means to buy nutritional foods that will meet their body needs. Food insecurity also occurs when there is shortage of agro-produce capable of going around the households in the…
Public Health is an issue that affects us all. Society as whole is unhealthy if even the smallest part of the population is being put in harm's way in terms of personal health. One of the main problems that affect many communities, especially this with low income, is living in a food desert. People are put in a situation in which they need to obtain that wh…
Food deserts are areas of a community where stores or markets, lack fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. Food deserts in America become a problem when people can’t afford the food due to low income, the traveling distance to stores, and when children become obese due to the lack of nutrition. Food is a daily necessity that everyone needs to get their energy throughout the day. The nutritious food that everyone needs is found in your local grocery stores, but having so many low income communities is a struggle to afford the food. This food desert problem has grown over the years as has many citizens that suffer from the nutrition they lack.…
Throughout the society, there are many problems including: violence, poverty, pollution, employment and many more. These problems can be seen anywhere in the world. However, there are also “minor” problems affecting everyone's city or neighborhood. Since these problems are not experienced first hand by others, they are seen minor. Nonetheless, just because they do not affect everyone they deeply concern and alter the lives of those who go through these problems. One problem, in the Chicago Logan Square neighborhood, is the lack of viable grocery store options. Chicago has an abundant amount of restaurants food options; however, many of those food options are not the healthiest. Food deserts are caused by food availability, location of grocery stores, and affordability of food.…
A food desert is a community where the residents have little or no access to fresh, affordable, healthy foods. A place that could be considered a food desert near me would be Warner Robins, a densely populated urban area. Food deserts impact our lives because you cannot be healthy without fresh affordable foods, and our bodies need a certain amount of nutrients from those fresh foods. Without access to these foods it can do harm to ones health. Also it effects low income families that do not have access to fresh foods, especially the children in low income families that are not receiving the necessary nutrients from these foods. One potential solution could be to encourage others to start a garden wither it be on a large scale or a smaller…
There have been several root causes to the creation of food deserts. For example, the Encyclopedia Britannica contends that certain economic factors like supply, demand, and urban planning have contributed to the effects of food desert growth. A community with not only a lack of healthy foods but also an absence of nutritional education,…