13. Ivy McDermott- Food Scarcity/Insecurity (outside reading)

     I recently had a presentation on food insecurity and scarcity in my French class. Some of you may be more familiar with redlining and the discriminatory effects it has caused during the planning of cities. Unfortunately, in poorer places, these food deserts are seen with few fresh and affordable options of food nearby. They have to drive to a single grocery store or resort to fast food. This leads to increased health problems such as obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, mental health problems, etc. 

Both planning or development of new infrastructures as well as education in already established ones are essential. Although it is not all the responsibility of citizens, a few things we can do is opt to establish more resources for people in need, for example, community food gardens, implementing native food forests to mimic natural forests, seed libraries, and educating in general. Learning how to grow your own food can be a wonderful thing, and we should educate people on how to grow food affordably and in small spaces, or where and how to source produce healthily. I also think we should build more gardens and food forests in general, for example, imagine if every police station, government building, school, and/or hospital had a community garden available. Gardening therapy is also very much a thing we should look into implementing into more spaces, and introducing gardening at a young age is very enriching. Another thing that was mentioned by a speaker, Kelly Moody, in class is wild gardening, which could be another beneficial thing to teach people about, and how to forage for food. 

kelly moody portfolio. “Colorado Trail Plant-a-Go Summer 2020 — Kelly Moody Portfolio,” n.d. https://www.kellynicholemoody.com/photography/colorado-trail-plantago-2020.

USDA ERS - Definitions of Food Security. “USDA ERS - Definitions of Food Security,” n.d. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/definitions-of-food-security/#:~:text=Food%20insecurity%E2%80%94the%20condition%20assessed,may%20result%20from%20food%20insecurity.


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