Food desert analysis A food desert refers to an area where residents lack adequate fresh food stores in their neighborho

Food desert analysis

A food desert refers to an area where residents lack adequate fresh food stores in their neighborhoods, and this greatly contributes to negative health outcomes in low-income and black communities. Food deserts are not simply a lack of stores but have much to do with how urban systems are structured and run. These areas are usually a consequence of unfair distribution of services in towns and cities; some areas are completely ignored. If we want to comprehend the formation of the food deserts and the effects they have on health, it is crucial to turn to urban sociology, which focuses on the concepts of how cities are constructed and which population has the right to use them.

How Food Deserts Are Made in Urban Setting

There is also a realization that food deserts are located in poor neighborhoods because of the way cities are developed. Living spaces in more affluent communities receive more investment—things like grocery stores or healthy food markets—as well as improved infrastructure, such as efficient public transportation systems, compared to living spaces in low-income communities. According to the video on food deserts, it is clear that healthy foods are well-known to be out of reach in such regions. Instead, they turn to fast foods and small stores where they get processed foods that are a sure way of contracting diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Basically, there are few grocery stores and fresh food markets, which makes it a great challenge for the people in these sections to access healthy foods. (Weber & Benjamin 2010). 

In urban sociology, we see this as an example of how unequal planning of the city affects the problem. The right to the city explains that everyone living in cities should have a say in how physical space is constructed and how city resources are being distributed. But this is not the case on most occasions. Those having lots of cash control the ways cities’ spaces are used, meanwhile minorities and poor folks do not get what they need—fresh food retailers. Consequently, so-called ‘food deserts’ emerge in these areas, and health and social disparities are exacerbated.

The effects of food deserts on the health of populations

There are adverse effects that come with living in a food desert. According to Tobin & Weaver (2017) article on health disparities, consumers that are unable to access fresh produce are more likely to develop diseases associated with a poor diet. When quality foods like fruits and vegetables and other food products are either scarce or expensive, people must settle for foods that are unhealthy and which cost less. They end up developing diet-related diseases, which certainly put more pressure on families and lead to increased health expenses. This put those living in food deserts at a further marginalization from those that do not in terms of social health disparity.

But there is a racial component as well involved in the issue. Food deserts are reported more often in Black and Hispanic residents’ neighborhoods than in white neighborhoods. This is in relation to past events where minorities were locked out of mortgages and investments; hence, underdevelopment in these regions began. This disinvestment has set the stage over time for food deserts to emerge in the first place. Thus, food deserts may be viewed as structural racism, as cities are actually designed to harm particular groups by depriving them of healthy food.

Urban Sociology and Space

Understanding theories of how cities are developed can be used to explain why food deserts exist and why food desert impacts low-earning populations so severely. Roy (2016) proclaims that urban spaces are not being; they are a result of some people’s choices as to where to invest resources—the developer, the city planner. In this process, minor localities become privileged neighborhoods while major localities fail to provide basic facilities. Food deserts are a good embodiment of this unequal developmental process. Where some communities are privy to grocery stores, parks, and other social amenities, others get only fast food and convenience stores.

This relates to the concept of ‘the right to the city,’ by which all inhabitants of the city should enjoy rights to the city. In fact, one can easily notice now that there are food deserts, which means that not everyone has this right. Affirmatives, minorities, and the poor cannot easily feed themselves healthily because access to healthy food is a human right that is being deprived from them. Such unequal distribution of food resources speaks volumes about how societies, in this case, cities, are erected with regards to social inequalities.

Addressing the Problem

Developing the communities that are stuck in the food deserts entails a massive shift in how cities are planned and governed. According to urban sociology, more democracy should be encouraged so that city planning will include everyone in society, especially those who are often marginalized. Another may be to increase the demand for low-income areas through putting up grocery stores and community gardens. These endeavors would assist in providing the inhabitants and other users of these areas with fresh and healthier food to eat and to improve the quality of life among the population.

The second strategy couples with increasing urban agriculture and local markets. These initiatives could help alleviate the problem of food deserts by bringing fresh food into areas where it can scarcely be found. Benefiting local food systems also strengthens the economy since it can help local families out of the poverty line.

Conclusion

Food deserts are a very huge problem, and it is not only a public health concern; it is a social and an economic problem that exposes the structural violence with which cities are governed. If we take an urban sociology perspective on the problem in question, we realize that food deserts are not just accidents but products of unequal urbanization. When health literacy, income, and race are low, people are deprived of good, healthy food, and this increases the health inequality. To eradicate this problem, cities should change the way they are developed and guarantee equal provision of the public utilities necessary for a healthy life, such as food. Only then can we begin to narrow these gaps and work towards socially just cities where everyone can live healthy lives.

 References

Roy, A. (2016). What is urban about critical urban theory? Urban Geography, 37(6), 810-823.

Tobin, B., & Weaver, B. L. (2017). Health and socioeconomic disparities of food deserts. Duke Green Classroom.

Weber, S., & Benjamin, W. (2010). Benjamin's-abilities. Harvard University Press.