week 13 - current topics in edible landscapes

USDA defined physical barriers experienced in food deserts

inability of residents to get to an establishment where they could access healthy foods (generally think of this establishment as a grocery store that is well stocked with a variety of foods including fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and lower fat/higher protein foods such as eggs, lean meats and pulses such as dry beans, lentils and chickpeas) if the residents are capable of cooking for themselves. an establishment where residents can access healthy foods might also be a food service enterprise such as a restaurant that serves healthy foods.

tract

where 20% or more of the residents are living in poverty or the average income doesn't exceed 80% of the median state income.

cotton crop

over 75% of cotton grown in the us is exported. It is the number one agricultural good which is exported from the US.

gender in agriculture

women make up 30% of farm operators, men 70%. That means women are 30% of all farm workers. When it comes to principal operator, then women are 14% of the total while men are 86%. when women are principal operators, they are likely to operate smaller farms than men, particularly in the less-than-50-acres category. The highest percentages of farms with women principal operators are in the Northeast and Southwest US and along west coast.

USDA defined low income neighborhoods

Department of Treasury's New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program defines a low-income census tract as any tract where: where 20% or more of the residents are living in poverty or the average income doesn't exceed 80% of the median state income.

Income spent on food

as incomes rise the average spending on food increases from the lowest to the highest income groups. the lower income groups spend the highest percentage of their income on food while the highest income groups spend the lowest percentage of their income on food. logical because food isn't discretionary spending the way entertainment is. You need food to survive so if you are spending your income rationally you would purchase the food you need first, and if you are lower income it may require a large part of your income. If you have money, you spend more dollars on food, but at some point you satisfy your food wants and needs and your income can go to other expenditures.

women in agriculture in developing countries

women make up 43 percent of the agricultural labor force. if women had the same access (women have less access to land, markets, farming technologies, fertilizer, credit and training) to productive resources as men, they could increase their farm yields by 20-30 percent, feeding an additional 150 million people.

food security statistics

In 2016: 87.7% of U.S. households were food secure. 12% were food insecure 38% of households below the poverty line were food insecure. Prevalence of food insecurity was higher in households with children than those without children. Hispanic and Black households had higher prevalence of food insecurity than white households. rural communities had higher prevalence of food insecurity than in urban cities.

some challenges that women face in agriculture

-Assistance with business plans and financing, -Access to equipment -Advice on marketing the expectation that women will be principal operators of farms conflicts with some of our cultural expectations of gender roles.

food security USDA definition

Food secure households had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members

food insecurity USDA definition

Food-insecure households are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, at some time during the year, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food: 12.3 percent (15.6 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2016. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security. Households with very low food security are food insecure to the extent that normal eating patterns of some household members were disrupted at times during the year, with self-reported food intake below levels considered adequate.

USDA defined food access

Limited access to supermarkets, supercenters, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and affordable food may make it harder for some Americans to eat a healthy diet most measures and definitions take into account: -Accessibility to sources of healthy food, as measured by distance to a store or by the number of stores in an area. -Individual-level resources that may affect accessibility, such as family income or vehicle availability. -Neighborhood-level indicators of resources, such as the average income of the neighborhood and the availability of public transportation.

Food deserts

The Food Access Research Atlas maps census tracts that are both low income (li) and low access (la), as measured by the different distance demarcations. This tool provides researchers and other users multiple ways to understand the characteristics that can contribute to food deserts, including income level, distance to supermarkets, and vehicle access.

USDA definitions

The USDA definition doesn't specify what it means for an establishment to have healthy food, just that it be a "supermarket or large grocery store", and it doesn't take into consideration that some people in the tract might not be able to cook for themselves. However, the USDA definition is more specific about how far is far (1 mile urban, 10 miles rural) and what constitutes an economic barrier (20% poverty rate).

food deserts

a geographical place where residents experience physical barriers to accessing healthy foods and where residents experience economic barriers to accessing healthy foods. physical and economic barriers.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI)Working Group considers a food desert as

a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. Low access to a healthy food retail outlet is defined as more than 1 mile from a supermarket or large grocery store in urban areas and as more than 10 miles from a supermarket or large grocery store in rural areas.

agro exports vs imports

amount of agricultural goods we export (by cash value) is consistently greater than value of agricultural goods imported to the US (between 2000 and 2015) so we have maintained a trade surplus in agricultural products for the years

USDA defined low access census tract

defined as being far from a supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store. -Low-income census tracts where a significant number (at least 500 people) or share (at least 33 percent) of the population is greater than ½ mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area or greater than 10 miles for a rural area. -Low-income census tracts where a significant number (at least 500 people) or share (at least 33 percent) of the population is greater than 1.0 mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area or greater than 10 miles for a rural area. -Low-income census tracts where a significant number (at least 500 people) or share (at least 33 percent) of the population is greater than 1.0 mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store for an urban area or greater than 20 miles for a rural area. A census tract is considered rural if the population-weighted centroid of that tract is located in an area with a population of less than 2,500; all other tracts are considered urban tracts.

USDA defined economic barriers experienced in food deserts

lack of money that can be spent on the food that is available in the neighborhood.

what can be done about food deserts?

the physical proximity to stores with healthy foods only explained less than 10% of the differences noted in whether or not individuals et healthy foods. Building new supermarkets in food deserts isn't going to solve the problem. Rather, an individual's income is the big driver in access to healthy food. Cortright states that, "When it comes to food access, the focus should be on poverty, not grocery store location". "I bet there are aspects of education, culture and yes, distance from stores, that are also involved." - professor michaels