We Live in a Food Desert: What are private and public sector solutions?
Residents in our rural areas lack access to healthy food and grocery stores.
The term food desert refers to a geographic area where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. These areas are often found in low-income regions, both urban and rural. Economic and logistical barriers prevent residents from obtaining healthy food options in these places.
Agriculture is so important to our economny. But because we are in the midst of so much farmland, many residents don’t realize that we face so much food insecurity in the area.
Rural food deserts exist more often than most people know. While we have corner stores or dollar stores, the options are largely processed foods. This junk food brings negative health outcomes, but the nearest grocery store can be 10-20 miles away for many residents. That means that dollar store food retailers are often the only option.
The USDA identifies food deserts by searching for low-income, low-access census tracts, highlighting areas where the need for intervention is most acute. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service interactive food desert atlas, much of Bertie and Hertford Counties meet the criteria. The map examines low-income census tracts, population data, grocery store density and other indicators to pinpoint each food desert in the United States.
Causes of Food Insecurity and Lack of Food Availability in Rural Versus Urban Areas
Where are food deserts located? The USDA map reveals how rural and urban food deserts may have little fresh produce or nutritious food access.
Expansive Geography That May Cause a Food Desert
Limited access to grocery stores and supermarkets is a significant cause of food insecurity, especially in rural food deserts. In these regions, residents may travel long distances to reach the nearest grocery store, which can be a substantial barrier, particularly for those without reliable transportation.
Rural communities often face significant geographic isolation, with residents living far from major cities and commercial centers. This isolation means that full-service grocery stores and supermarkets are less likely to be within a convenient distance for many rural residents. As a result, people in these areas may have to travel long distances to access fresh and nutritious foods, which can be both time-consuming and costly.
In urban areas, unreliable public transportation further exacerbates the problem, making it difficult for residents to access healthy food options. Food deserts exist in areas with limited access to healthy food, leading to food insecurity and reliance on less nutritious alternatives.
Socioeconomic Factors Contributing to a Food Desert
Low income and high poverty rates are critical factors contributing to food insecurity. Residents in food deserts often struggle to afford healthy food options due to limited financial resources. Additionally, limited job opportunities and education levels play a role in perpetuating food insecurity.
The median family income and statewide median family income are significant indicators in identifying food deserts, as areas with lower income levels are more likely to lack access to nutritious foods.
Economic Challenges in Low-income Areas
Economic factors play a substantial role in limiting food access in rural communities. High poverty rates and low median incomes mean that many residents cannot afford to purchase healthy, nutritious food regularly. Additionally, the economic viability of large chain grocery stores in sparsely populated rural areas is often low, leading to fewer food retailers willing to take a chance in these regions.
Limited Retail Grocery Store Options
The scarcity of retail options in rural areas contributes to limited food access. Many rural communities rely on small convenience stores, which typically offer a limited selection of food items. Usually, they must pay higher prices. As mentioned, these stores often stock processed, packaged foods rather than fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options. The lack of competition also means that a rural grocery store has little incentive to expand their offerings or lower their prices.
Supply Chain Issues May Lead to a Food Desert
Due to logistical and distribution difficulties, rural areas often face challenges in maintaining a stable and diverse fresh food supply. Smaller populations and remote locations can make it less profitable for suppliers to deliver a wide range of products, leading to less variety and availability of fresh food in rural stores. Seasonal changes and weather conditions can also impact the supply chain, limiting food access.
Policy and Infrastructure Deficiencies
Inadequate infrastructure and policy support can exacerbate food access issues in rural communities. Poor road conditions, lack of investment in public transportation, and insufficient support for local food initiatives all contribute to the difficulties faced by rural residents in accessing healthy food. Policies that do not prioritize rural food access or provide adequate funding for rural development can leave these communities at a disadvantage.
Social and Demographic Factors of Low-Income Communities
Rural communities often have aging populations, and some older adults may have additional barriers to accessing food, such as limited mobility and fixed incomes. Social isolation and a lack of community resources can further complicate food access for vulnerable populations. Additionally, lower education levels in some rural areas can impact residents’ nutrition and healthy eating knowledge, reducing demand for fresh and nutritious food.
The Long-Term Effects of Food Deserts
Health Impacts on People Who Live in Food Deserts
The health impacts of living in a food desert are severe and far-reaching. Due to limited access to the foods needed for a healthy diet, residents in these areas face an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.
Poor nutrition and malnutrition are common, especially among vulnerable populations such as children and older adults. Food insecurity, a direct consequence of food deserts, can lead to severe health consequences, including weakened immune systems, cognitive impairments, and chronic illnesses.
The Public Health Crisis When People Don’t Have a Reliable Food System
A food desert means nutritional deficiencies and the resulting health consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are some ailments common in those without fresh foods, whole grains, or other healthy foods:
- Diabetes: Limited access to nutritious food can lead to poor dietary habits, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Cardiovascular Disease: Diets high in processed foods and low in fresh fruits and vegetables, common in food deserts, contribute to higher rates of heart disease.
- Malnutrition: Food deserts often lack fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to deficiencies in essential nutrients and poor overall diet quality.
- Mental Health Issues: Food insecurity and poor nutrition can contribute to stress, anxiety, and depression, affecting overall mental health and well-being.
- Higher Rates of Chronic Illnesses: Chronic diseases such as hypertension and certain cancers are more prevalent in populations with limited access to healthful foods.
- Increased Health Disparities: Food deserts disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities, worsening existing health disparities and leading to poorer health outcomes in these populations.
For more detailed information, you can visit the Center for Disease Control resource pages on food deserts and their impact on health here (CDC).
Communities Affected by Lack of Access to Healthy Food Choices
Food deserts disproportionately affect black and brown communities, leading to higher rates of health problems and exacerbating existing health disparities. Both urban and rural areas are affected, impacting millions of Americans.
Food deserts significantly impact community health and well-being, creating difficult-to-break cycles of poor health and economic hardship.
Limited Economic Development Often Links to a Food Desert (and Vice Versa)
The absence of grocery store access or fresh food markets can lead to a decline in economic development. Potential investors of businesses may avoid putting money into a community with so few amenities. Thus, the cycle of low job opportunities and less economic growth perpetuates.
Solutions to Solving the Food Desert Crisis Require All-in Measures
Building more convenience stores is not an answer to solving the affordable food crisis. Instead, it will take a thoughtful approach. Entrepreneurs could play a role in helping improve access to healthy foods in our communities.
How Entrepreneurs Can Help With Improving Food Access
One of the most effective ways to combat food deserts is increasing access to grocery stores and supermarkets, particularly in rural areas.
Entrepreneurs can play a crucial role by starting grocery co-ops or small, local grocery stores that provide healthful food options to underserved communities.
Or, how about a mobile grocery store? That refers to a pop-up model that could bring fresh produce, especially fresh fruits, to low-access areas of the counties.
What about a fixed farmers market location? Colerain Farmers Market and Windsor Farmers Markets are two Bertie County examples of venues that provide an oasis in vast food deserts.
Does anyone in the area want to step up and bring about positive change by improving food access to their neighbors? There’s a real opportunity to be an engine for change!
Understanding Food Deserts and Policy Makers Addressing the Lack of Food Stores
Improving public transportation in urban areas can also help residents access healthy food options more easily. Additionally, initiatives that bring healthy foods to food deserts, such as funding local farmers markets and community gardens, can make a significant impact.
But the problem is even wider. Food apartheid at the level we see in Bertie County and Hertford County also ties back to affordable housing for low- to median-family income workers. Tax credits for developers usually require a few amenities near the development, including benchmarks for nearest grocery store and pharmacy.
Food deserts tend to worsen other problems within communities.
Community-Based Initiatives in Low-Income Neighborhoods (which are usually also low-access areas)
Community-based initiatives are essential for addressing food insecurity. Food banks and pantries temporarily relieve those in need. Also, education and outreach programs promote healthy eating habits and provide resources for accessing nutritious food.
Community gardens and urban agriculture projects can increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables, empower residents to grow food, and build a better sense of community. However, community gardens in our communities have not gained enough public support to be sustainable efforts.
Addressing the Food Swamp Issue (Overreliance on Fast Food)
In addition to food deserts, many communities face the challenge of food swamps. These are the opposite of the food desert. These areas have a high density of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores offering unhealthy food options.
Locally, let’s consider Ahoskie. There, you find three grocery stores where families can purchase healthful food to purchase and prepare at home.
However, many fast food restaurants sell high-calorie foods at relatively low prices, which makes them attractive to the food insecure. Sit-down restaurants in the town of Ahoskie offer healthy foods like delicious salads, but many of those are closed on weekends. You also usually find the local liquor stores near the fast food chains – in Ahoskie and many cities.
Strategies to address food swamps include policies that limit the number of fast-food establishments in these areas and promote healthy food options and nutrition education. Encouraging grocery stores and supermarkets to open in food deserts can also help shift the food landscape toward healthier choices.
Food Deserts in Bertie and Hertford Counties Are a Public Health Crisis Demanding Creative Solutions
Food insecurity is far too common in our region. The lack of full-service grocery stores outside of three towns, Ahoskie, Murfreesboro, and Windsor, means that too many of our neighbors live in food deserts. It will take a combination of investments from the private and public sectors to change this and open up healthy foods to all in the area. Every stakeholder has a role to play. These include the entrepreneur who decides to start a grocery delivery service or farmstand or the policymakers who need to make additional investments in the most rural of our communities.
We must do better.
