Food Desert

By Klest (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

With the decline of the global economy, the unemployment becomes a very significant problem for every country in the world. In addition, no matter it is developed country or developing country, the inequality between the rich and the poor becomes bigger and bigger. The upper class always have more resources to choose, but for the poor, there is very lack of resources for them to choose and have. Most upper class people live in a very healthy way because they have enough money to buy very healthy and organic food. They live in the places that have a lot of resources and easily for them to get fresh food. However, most lower class people that do not have the ability to get the fresh and healthy food. Most times, they even cannot have enough food for the whole family. The biggest problem for the poverty people is the hunger and food food desert.

In the United States, hunger is well documented as a major public health problem. Nuanced discussions of the reliability of various measures of hunger fail to obscure the fact that many people, including millions of children, are hungry (Brown and Jameton 24). In Chicago, the south side and some low-income communities both suffer the problem of hunger and the food desert. They cannot get the fresh and healthy food. A food desert is a geographic area where affordable and nutritious food is hard to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile. Some research links food deserts to diet-related health problems and health disparities in affected populations, but this phenomenon has been disputed (Wikipedia). Sometimes, the fresh and healthy food are very expensive on the south sides and some low-income communities. As we all know, if people do not have enough food or healthy food to eat, their working capacity will also be very low. If the working capacity for the working labor is very low, they cannot create great economy value for the city and the country.

Sources: Brown, Kate H. and Jameton, Andrew L. Public Health Implications of Urban Agriculture. Journal of Public Health Policy, Vol. 21, No. 1. (2000), pp. 20-39.

Wikipedia. Food Desert. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert

South Side of Chicago residents are forced to spend billions of dollars each year outside of their communities. There are few restaurants or retail shops for them to go to in their own neighborhoods. And basic shopping needs such as groceries and household items often go unmet (Huffpost Chicago). For the south side people, they cannot make enough money and also have to spend most of the income to buy healthy and fresh food outside of the community. Therefore, in order to make the south side community to be easy and cheap to get fresh and healthy food. The government should plan to build a community garden for the south side community. When the south side have a community garden, the low-income people will be easily to buy fresh and healthy food with a cheap price. Then, the low-income people will not need to spend most of their income on buying food. When they eat more and healthier, their working capacity will improve. The community garden is also a sustainable farming. A sustainable approach to farming is economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially beneficial: it works for the farmer, the land, and the community. Sustainable agriculture is grounded in the idea of stewardship: preserving the resources that allow us to meet our own needs, so that future generations can meet theirs too (What is sustainable agriculture?).

Sources: Huffpost Chicago. Food, Retail Deserts Cause South Siders To Spend Billions In Other Areas.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/01/food-retail-deserts-cause_n_273816.html

What is sustainable agriculture?. Solutions: Advance Sustainable Agriculture.http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/food-agriculture/solutions/advance-sustainable-agriculture#.VsXtF8fCHFK

Environment always influence the public health, especially in urban areas. Good environment always produces much fresher and healthier food for people. In addition, good environment can make people more security. Therefore, the government should make the environment better first. A good environment is not only good for the food that we eat, but also very good for people’s health. A good health always relates to a good environment. For most countries, having a good environment will lead to give people a good health. Building a community garden for the south side community can make the environment be better and also solves the problem of food desert for the south side people.