What are the effects of food deserts on social inequality in urban areas?

Living in Cardiff, a predominantly student town, highlighted the challenges of accessing healthy food on a minimal budget. Although the city boasts a variety of supermarkets, students often relied on affordable frozen foods due to the cost and portion sizes of fresh produce. This reliance on processed foods can lead to health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.Cardiff's walkability and excellent cycling infrastructure helped mitigate some food access issues, but finding affordable, healthy meals on campus remained difficult. This experience underscores the need for better food options and policies to support healthy eating in student-dense areas.

Food deserts in urban areas are at the center of health , food and nature nexus that could lead to deep transformations . Food deserts are caused by the lack of access to wholesome food whtether due to affordability issues, mobility issues or even logistics issues . These exaberate health issues and place a financial burden on families as health insurance premiums increase for insured with non _communicable disease history or past cases . It is a community issue that local development plans need to face.

Au cours des 15 dernières années, j’ai travaillé auprès de la communauté noire de Montréal, francophone et anglophone. J'ai vite remarqué que beaucoup de familles avaient du mal à trouver des aliments frais et nutritifs. Au Canada, d’après une étude récente, 46,3 % des enfants noirs vivaient dans un ménage en situation d’insécurité alimentaire L’accès limité à des aliments nutritifs affecte la santé, la productivité et le bien-être général. Par la création de marchés de producteurs locaux et l’encouragement à l’agriculture urbaine. Et avec l’aide de tous, y compris des gouvernements, on peut changer ces endroits en lieux où la santé et le bien-être sont une priorité.

En el contexto socioeconómico de Perú, los desiertos alimentarios afectan gravemente la salud de las comunidades urbanas en regiones costeras, andinas y amazónicas, agravando la desigualdad social. Un factor clave es el Fenómeno del Ni?o, que impacta negativamente la producción agrícola y pesquera, dificultando la distribución y el acceso a alimentos a precios justos. Las familias de bajos ingresos son las más vulnerables, especialmente los ni?os, quienes enfrentan altas tasas de anemia (42%) y desnutrición crónica (12%), además de una limitada vacunación (69%). Esta situación se agrava por la insuficiente cobertura y recursos en los servicios de salud pública.

Food deserts are often linked on a local level to the dominance of large retail spaces that need longer commuting and also the absence of convenient options at the local grocery stores. It is only the tip of the iceberg for a wicked problem of fresh fruits and vegetables supply chain issues.

Food deserts can be both a tool to measure disinvestment in a neighborhood and community but it can also be misinterpreted resulting in misguided planning initiatives which do not resolve underlying needs. Keep in mind that food deserts are the result of either low income intense census tracts not sustaining traditional food retailers or loss of population. The latter is not going to be addressed by trying to create inducements to attract healthy food retailers when there is no population base to sustain it. The key for planners when seeking to address food deserts requires a deep dive into the factors causing the problem rather than making assumptions which can be false. Plans need to be devised that address the root causes.

Les projets de revitalisation menés par les pouvoirs publics visent à redynamiser ces zones fragilisées. Chaque projet doit tenir compte des spécificités locales.

Fast food / processed food based nutrition means severe health issues that build up throughout years. The health problems that occur on people (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc) have a huge impact on the healthcare system, which in most countries does not do much for prevention. Huge amounts of pills are prescribed, continuous need for medical examination, days and days of hospitalization.

Los "food deserts" tienen un efecto social polarizador en las zonas urbanas con rentas bajas, generando un círculo vicioso. Los "food deserts" normalmente están en zonas de baja densidad donde la demanda no compensa la ubicación de comercios. Análogamente, el transporte público da un servicio escaso, si lo hay. Las rentas bajas usarán el coche para llegar a tiendas. Este gasto extra en la cesta de la compra, es significativo para este público. El círculo vicioso se desarrolla como una combinación de factores que se suceden en mayor o menor grado en paralelo: Gente que no puede permitirse el transporte privado deberá mudarse o deteriorará su dieta. La zona perderá densidad, atractivo y los precios del suelo bajarán: Los pobres, más pobres.

Des études le démontrent : acculturation aux fruits et légume, variétés et choix participeraient à l'amélioration des résultats scolaires. Oligo éléments, vitamines, protéines font qu'on est bien dans son corps, et donc bien dans sa tête ! On dit bien que le café/la caféine nous permet de rester éveillé - personnellement je n'aime pas cela :)

Unhealthy foods like deserts most of the time affects our daily life. These processed foods usually build fat in the body and in turn will make student week and dizzy even during learning hours. Some student will loose fitness require for some educational activities.

This has driven school food programs in the United States, especially as in-person school attendance restarted after COVID-19. Providing breakfast and lunch to all students can help counteract lack of food at home, and help to overcome performance gaps resulting from the pandemic.

Food deserts contribute in times of climate disasters to the lack of resilience whithin the community as access to healthy nutritional food is denied and affects in particular vulnerable grouos such as women in low income communities, elderly and people with disabilities in addition to children in marginalised groups.

La cohésion communautaire est en effet primordiale, mais de nombreuses associations sont aux cotés des quartiers et des habitants pour, collectivement, y répondre à travers des projets d'alimentation, mais pas que. Certaines collectivités, comme Bordeaux, propose des locaux en bail précaire, avant une destruction, pour poursuivre au maximum une activité sur place ; à des loyers accessibles.

Food deserts often correlate with areas that lack other essential services and investment, leading to broader socio-economic disadvantages. People won't have enough time to invest in their own communities. This lack of investment can result in higher crime rates, reduced property values, and overall lower quality of life.

Farm to table intitatives where wholesome food markets are set up on a frequent basis in communal areas and open spaces can be incetivised through proper urban design guidance, a strategic place_based approach for vibrant opendoor spaces. Other policy areas could be the use of smart agriculture techniques to produce through affordable or frugal technologies organic herbs, greens, tomatos on collective communal land . Such experimental projects could be scaled up to adress food deserts in urban areas.

L'Economie Sociale et Solidaire, les PTCAE sont des modèles qui peuvent contribuer à impulser les décideurs politiques ou certains peuvent aussi y participer. Preuve en est sur l'Agglo de Limoges qui a décidé de faire de ses espaces verts (bandes, rond point, massifs) des potagers. Les productions sont ensuite distribuées à la population. La ceinture maraichère mise en place doit petit à petit s'étendre et propose ainsi des espaces de cultures à des maraichers voulant se monter. Cela rentre dan un projet d'agriculture urbaine de son Plan Climat.

The possibility of supplying food products produced by local residents not only causes economic prosperity, but also increases the social dynamics and internal development of these areas. Creating a sense of empathy and cooperation to solve problems is an introduction to increasing social solidarity.

Addressing food deserts involves multi-faceted approaches such as policy interventions to incentivize grocery stores to open in underserved areas, urban agriculture initiatives, and community-based programs to promote healthy eating and economic development. Policy makers should ensure the enforcement of land uses to accommodate the sustainable growth and development of the community.

mais aussi la culture des champignons dans une cave peut se faire en ville. La température optimale pour la culture des champignons en cave est de 14 à 16 degrés, l' hygrométrie de 90% et l'aération des galeries doit être constante et importante.

Another great way for urban design to address Food Deserts is through the one minute city concept developped in OSLO whereby residents we allowed to transform on_street parking into urban agriculture collective pots where they can plant their own tomato, lettuce, herbs and other fresh produce.

We can learn from rurban landscapes & small towns in India. Growing some portion of vegetables & fruits used to be a common practice in India. With the advent of paced urbanism in recent decades, it waned. Similarly, planting fruit trees in public land was a common practices in history. This may look absurd from the governance perspective and the authorities may not need to get into it formally. While once own food is coming back in trends, the trend can be encouraged for vacant lands (of universities etc.), rooftops (for vegetables) and road side plantations (for fruits). This will reconnect citizens to the food sources but also partially address urban food scarcity while adding green cover and saving money from alien landscaping.

El dise?o urbano en Perú es crucial para mitigar los efectos de los desiertos alimentarios. Lima, con más de 10 millones de habitantes, enfrenta este desafío. Además, existen otras 7 ciudades peruanas con más de medio millón de habitantes. Es urgente planificar ciudades con desarrollos de uso mixto, áreas peatonales y transporte público sostenible. También debemos aumentar las intervenciones urbanas para facilitar el acceso a alimentos saludables, especialmente para los sectores vulnerables que dependen de los Comedores Populares. La vulnerabilidad hídrica común en las urbes peruanas requiere soluciones inclusivas y disruptivas. Así, construiremos un ciclo virtuoso de acceso a alimentos y promoveremos la cohesión social y la equidad.

Nas grandes cidades sobra pouco espa?o para planejar um desenho urbano. O necessário é tentar descobrir os pequenos espa?os existentes, muitas vezes dentro de um "rabisco" urbano caótico. E encontrando esses espa?os remodelar o olhar e dar novos usos a este espa?o. Neste caso pequenas hortas comunitárias urbanas e escolares podem ser muito uteis para a questao alimentar e aliar também à educa??o ambiental qnas escolas, passando por estudos de ciências. Algumas cidades possuem árvores frutíferas na arboriza??o urbana ou mesmo nas escolad e as pessoas nem se d?o conta e deixam ee aproveitar e cuidar dessas árvores.